


A Scribble In Time

by justbygrace



Series: Movie 'Verse [7]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010) Fusion, Depictions of Emotional Abuse, F/M, Fem!Master - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Memories of Child Abuse, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Movie AU, POV Alternating, just a lot of conversations about hair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-03-21 01:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13730115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: The 'Tangled' AU that needed to happen and I've been thinking about for entirely too long not to write!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A Few Notes Before We Begin:
> 
> 1\. All the love to CSV for betaing this and for being so supportive of the idea from the first moment I mentioned it several months ago!
> 
> 2\. Thank you to all of you who encouraged me to go for this and gave me the shove I needed to get it written - I appreciate each and every single one of you!
> 
> 3\. All recognizable dialogue belongs to Disney or the BBC. I just enjoy making sandcastles in other people's sandboxes.
> 
> 4\. This story is complete & will be posted on a regular basis.
> 
> 5\. Honestly, don't take this seriously - I certainly didn't!

Once upon a very long time ago, in the deepest meadow of the biggest forest in the country of Gallifrey, a drop of sunlight fell to earth. From this drop of sunlight grew a magic golden flower. It was capable of healing illness, decay, and injury. The only person who knew of its existence for hundreds of years was an old witch named Henrietta who drank from the flower every week to keep herself looking young and beautiful. She refused to share her knowledge of the flower with anyone for fear they would use it for themselves.

At the time of our tale, Gallifrey was ruled by a King and Queen named Peter and Jacqueline. They were a lovely couple, well-beloved by all of their subjects. Queen Jacqueline was pregnant with the only heir to the throne, but she was older and the pregnancy was not going well. She was running out of time and the kingdom was desperate for a miracle.

A magical flower such as the one that fell from the sun couldn't be kept secret forever and rumors of the flower spread and soon they reached the capital city. Desperate to save her, King Peter sent out his fastest riders to obtain the flower before his precious wife succumbed to her illness. They rode all day and night for three weeks but they discovered the flower at last. They dug it up, roots and all, and transported it back to the palace. 

The Head Cook chopped up the golden flour into a tea, the Queen drank it and was restored to health. Shortly afterwards she gave birth to a golden, healthy baby girl. They named her Rose, for her skin was as her namesake and her hair was a halo the color of the sunlight around her head. King Peter and Queen Jacqueline doted on her, spending every spare moment they could with their happy, precious miracle.

The King and Queen launched a flying lantern into the sky in honor of Princess Rose and there were festivals to celebrate the little girl's birth as well as Queen Jacqueline's miraculous recovery. 

However, trouble was not far behind in the decrepit form of Henrietta. Her youth was fading without her sips from the flower. It hadn't been hard to guess where the royal soldiers were taking the magical flower and she traveled to the capital city herself, intent on stealing it back. She was horrified to hear that the flower had been destroyed, but she was delighted with the gossip she heard that suggested that the magic lived on in the princess.

Disguised as a servant, she crept into the palace in the dead of night, finding her way to the princess' bedroom. She lifted up Rose's hair, singing her witch's chant to herself, intent on taking a lock of her hair with her. The moment she cut the hair though, the spell - which had started to work, backtracked. The lock of hair she had cut lost its brilliant sheen. 

Knowing what she needed to do, Henrietta stole the child and vanished. The kingdom searched and searched but could not find the lost princess. Henrietta had taken the infant deep within the deepest meadow in the biggest forest in Gallifrey to a high stone tower and hidden her away from the world. No matter the search parties, they could not locate the princess.

Henrietta had found her magical flower again and this time she was determined to keep it hidden. She raised Rose in that tower, teaching her to sing the spell that transformed the decrepit hag into a young woman again. She taught Rose that the outside world was a dangerous place, full of horrible selfish people who would kill her if given half a chance. And she never once let the girl cut her long, luxurious, golden locks of hair.

But though the tower was made of thick stone, it could not hide everything. For every year on her birthday (which Henrietta hadn't bothered to change), King Peter and Queen Jacqueline released hundreds of thousands of lanterns into the air in hopes that one day their lost princess would return.


	2. Chapter 2

One crisp morning in early summer, a bright orange cat dashed out of the high window of a tall stone tower in the deepest meadow of the biggest forest in Gallifrey. It skidded around the corner and stopped, crouching behind a flower pot. Behind the cat, the doors of the window swung open and a young woman stepped out on the ledge, looking around.

"Hmmm," she said in a bright, clear voice. "Guess Chip isn't out here!"

She made to go back inside and then popped back out, peering around the flower pot and snatching up the cat. 

"Aha! Gotcha!" she crowed. "That's 22 for me and 0 for you! Want to make it best 23 out of 45?"

The cat gave her a condescending look in that way that only cats can. Rose sighed and settled onto the ledge, her bare feet hanging into the air. 

"Fine! What do you want to do?"

Chip arched his back and looked meaningfully at the forest before them. Rose looked down at the forest stretching out as far as she could see and at the brilliant blue sky with snowy white clouds far above her.

"No! I like it in here! And so do you," she finished with a narrowed look at the cat.

If cats could roll their eyes, Chip would have rolled his. 

"Really!"

Rose pursed her lips and surveyed the scene again. She wasn't lonely and she really did love her tower. After all she had Chip, her delightful orange cat who she swore was almost human-like. She had her mother, even though these days she was gone more often than she was around. She had the freedom to do anything she wanted. She sighed. That wasn't quite true. She had the freedom to do anything she wanted...except for go outside.

She had never been outside. Not once in her life. She shifted her gaze to the green grass far below and wondered what it would feel like beneath her bare feet. She was used to the feeling of smooth stone or carpet and she was fairly certain that grass wouldn't feel like either of those things. 

But she knew that the world was full of cold, cruel people and she was better off, safer in this tower than she would be out there. Even if sometimes she wished...no! She stopped that train of thought. There was no wishing during the day. That was for dusk when everything seemed more melancholy. For now there was lots to do. 

"Come on, Chip!" she sang, hopping off the ledge and turning back to her tower. 

It was seven a.m. and that meant her chores were waiting. She swept the floor first, singing little ditties as she worked, Chip winding between her feet. Then there was mopping to do, laundry to accomplish, the fixtures to shine, and the windows to wash. After that she could focus on reading one of the few volumes that her mother would bring back for her occasionally. Sometimes she did a bit of cooking (she was rubbish at it, but it was fun to experiment while her mother was away), or knitting, or experimenting with some new hobby. Once in a while her mother would leave her a big chore to do, like candle-making or soap-making and that would take up some of the endless hours. 

And, of course, a big portion of her morning was in brushing her extremely long hair. Her mother never let her cut her hair and it grew extraordinarily fast. She had commented on it once, noting that Chip's hair and her mother's hair never grew that fast, but her mother had shushed her because she had a headache and Rose's voice was making it worse, and so Rose hadn't asked again. Still, it was one of the little mysteries that she thought about to pass the time.

Her painting would take up most of her time. She had convinced her mother to allow her to paint nearly every part of every wall in the tower and she loved to add bits of color or scenes when her fancy struck. Sometimes she would paint over a section and restart if she was especially bored, but mostly she just expanded scenes she had done before. She had a lot of paintings of Chip and herself and her mother, of course, but other places were birds and trees and flowers and how she imagined the outside world looked. 

A big part of her painting was devoted to the lights. They happened every year on her birthday, which was tomorrow night. Rose didn't know what the significance of the floating lights happening on her birthday was, but she knew that they were somehow very important. She very much wanted to go see them up close and personal. She knew her mother would be home this evening - she never missed Rose's birthday - and she was determined to ask her.

"I really will, Chip," she told the cat while she perfected the scene of a starry night at the very pinnacle of the tower. "I'm 18 now! I'm not a little girl anymore and I won't get scared like last time."

Rose shuddered as she remembered the last time. She had tried last year when she was seventeen. Mother hadn't liked the suggestion at all and hadn't returned home for a month. Rose didn't like being left alone and she was nearly out of food by the time Mother returned. She had demanded Rose beg for forgiveness before she produced the food supplies, and Rose had done so tearfully. But then Mother had stayed for almost two weeks after that and it had almost made up for the lonely days. 

This year, though, Rose was sure that Mother would allow her to go. After all, she was about to be eighteen. That was plenty old enough to navigate the world. She could go in a disguise like the one Mother wore and no one would even see her. Mother went out all the time - she could help Rose find a good viewing place close to the source and they could watch the lights in the sky together.

The hours of the morning ticked by slowly. Rose knitted her scarf for awhile, sitting on the ledge outside with Chip curled up nearby. She stared dinner early and even baked her mother's favorite cake as a treat. Just as the sun reached its peak, she heard the familiar call.

"Rose! Let down your hair!"

Rose took a deep breath and gave Chip a brilliant smile. "It's time!" she whispered.

Chip meowed earnestly and Rose shooed him into his basket. Mother tolerated Chip, but preferred not to actually be faced with the evidence of his existence. 

"Rose!" The shout came again. "I'm not getting any younger down here!"

"Coming, Mother!" Rose called, racing for the window.

She opened the window's shutters and threw her hair over a special pole that jutted from the roof, before allowing it to cascade all the way down to the ground, far below where Mother waited. Mother looped the hair up like a swing and stepped into it. Rose heaved and pulled and slowly raised Mother through the air until she dismounted on the ledge.

"Hello Mother!" Rose greeted her cheerily, panting a little from the exertion.

"Rose!" Mother said, walking over and tipping her chin up with one finger so she could look at her. "How you manage to do that every time without fail is amazing! It must be exhausting!"

"Oh, it's nothing!" Rose waved her hand with emphasis.

"Then I can't imagine why it takes so long!" Mother responded, satisfied with her examination of Rose. Rose's face must have given away her concern at the words because she laughed winningly. "Oh darling, I'm just teasing!"

"Alright!" Rose laughed along. 

Her mother strode over to a full-length mirror and Rose followed behind her, knowing she might not have much time to make her case before Mother was gone again.

"As you know, tomorrow is a very special day..." she began.

"Rose," Mother interrupted. "Look into that mirror!"

She drew Rose to her side and they looked into the mirror together. Rose quivered a little with the force of the words she was holding inside of her. This wasn't the time to speak though.

"You know what I see?" Mother asked. "I see a young woman full of promise and potential. A strong, confident, beautiful young lady. Oh look," she pointed at Rose, "You're here too."

She threw back her head and laughed and Rose felt the color drain from her face. 

"Oh I'm just teasing," Mother giggled, elbowing Rose. "You always take everything so seriously. You really must learn to lighten up." She leaned closer to the mirror, inspecting her eyes. "And I do mean, lighten up - is that a cake I smell? Really, Rose? Do you think you need that?"

Rose swallowed hard. "I didn't eat any," she told her. "As I was saying earlier though, tomorrow's my..."

"Rose," Mother said. "I'm feeling a bit run down. Why don't you sing for me and then we'll talk."

"Oh, of course!" 

Rose ran to get Mother's chair and the large brush from the mantel. She wrapped her hair in a circle around the chair before seating herself in a small stool at her feet, shoving the brush in Mother's hand. It was easy to sing the old song she'd been taught as a baby and she sped through it, hardly waiting for the typical glow of her hair to bathe Mother's skin before moving to lean on the arm of the chair.

"Rose!" Mother scolded the performance, but Rose was barely listening to the chastisement.

"Tomorrow's a pretty big day and you didn't really respond, so I'm just going to tell you: it's my birthday!" Rose said, speaking quickly in an effort to get all the words out. 

She grabbed Mother's arm as she spoke, barely noticing how the older woman flinched away. Mother removed Rose's grip from her, pushing her back to her stool.

"No," she said in a singsong voice, "Can't be. I distinctly remember your birthday was last year."

"Funny thing about birthdays," Rose went on, hardly deterred. "They happen every year!"

Mother continued to stare at her and Rose sank back. "Mother," she continued in a quieter tone. "I'm turning eighteen. And what I'd really like is, I mean, what I wanted to ask is...I mean, what I really want for this birthday, actually what I've wanted for quite a few years..."

"Rose, please! Stop with the mumbling, you know I hate it when you mumble. Just blah, blah, blah; very annoying!" She stood and pinched Rose's cheeks. "I'm kidding! You're adorable! I love you so much!"

She pushed back her chair with a poke at Rose's nose and sighed, heading towards the kitchen. Rose sank back on her heels, the light leaving her eyes. Almost eighteen and she couldn't even ask her mother for a simple trip. She really had no backbone. She wrinkled her nose; she did hate it when her mother poked it. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Chip. The cat looked between her and the direction Mother had disappeared with an accusing look.

"I don't know if I can," Rose murmured.

The cat was unmoved and Rose nodded, squaring her shoulders with determination.

"I want to see the floating lights!" she burst out.

Mother looked around in the act of picking up an apple from the basket on the counter. "What?"

"I mean, I was hoping you'd take me to see the floating lights," she said, climbing onto the stool to pull back a curtain. 

It hid the painting she'd been working on for days - the lights filling the sky and herself sitting below watching them while her hair glowed like it did when she sang for Mother. It was probably her best work yet.

"You mean the stars," Mother corrected. 

"That's the thing," Rose said, indicating another painting higher up on the wall. "I've charted stars and they're always constant. But these appear once a year, on my birthday! Only on my birthday. And I can't help but feel like they are meant for me."

Mother scowled, walking to the other side of the tower, but Rose couldn't stop speaking, even in the face of Mother's growing ire.

"I need to see them, Mother! And not just from my window, but in person. I have to know what they are!" She finished her speech with passion.

Mother was standing by the window and she looked at Rose over her shoulder as she closed the shutters with a sharp bang. 

"You want to go outside?" she asked. "Rose, you're as fragile as your namesake. You know why we stay up in this tower."

"I know, but..." 

"That's right - to keep you safe and sound here. I guess I always knew this day was coming." She went to the curtains and whisked them shut. "I knew that soon you'd want to leave the nest."

Mother stalked to the latch that opened the dormer windows at the very tip of the tower and pulled it, plunging the tower into almost complete darkness. Rose hastily lit a candle, listening to Mother continue on.

"The world is cold and cruel, simply teeming with people who would hurt you. You know what people do to young, innocent girls like you? Do you know what lies in their hearts? Especially men? They'll see you and want to hurt you. Do you know what they'll do to you. Do you, Rose?"

She appeared in Rose's space, one hand reaching out to catch Rose's chin in her long-fingered grasp. 

"They'll rape you, Rose," she said, her words falling like knives on the air. "They'll take you and they'll break you. The world is full of people just waiting to steal you away and have their way with you."

Rose felt prickles on her arms and the back of her neck, a cold feeling of fear tracing the length of her spine and settling in her belly as Mother's words sank through her skin. 

"Ruffians and thieves - they are just waiting for you to emerge," she went on. "Sickness and disease and all sorts of evil beyond your imagining. Stop this talk, you're upsetting me."

Rose rushed over and hugged her, which she allowed for a moment before removing Rose's clutching grasp. "Mother knows best, dear. You know that. I'll protect you, if you'll only stay with me. Besides, look at you!"

Rose looked at herself, at her blue gown and her dirty bare feet sticking out from under the hem. 

"On your own, you won't survive. Sloppy and underdressed; when's the last time you've taken a shower anyway? You're immature and clumsy; you know it's true, don't give me that look." She shook her head fondly. "They'll eat you up out there you're so ditzy and...what's the word? Vague. Can't hold your own in a conversation!"

She looked Rose up and down, her gaze lingering on Rose's middle. Rose wrapped her arms around her stomach in an effort to protect herself from that calculated look.

"Really, are you even doing the exercises I gave you? I'm just saying because I love you and want you to look your best. Didn't I bring you back fabric for another dress? What have you done with it?"

Rose felt her stomach knot as Mother's words took aim and found their place among the other words she'd heard through the years, feeding into the fears she nurtured in the dark of the night when she was here alone. She raised her eyes at Mother's sudden silence and was relieved when she saw a warm smile and her arms open. She rushed over, closing her eyes in relief as her arms came around her.

"Rose?" 

"Yes?"

Her tone was cold and her eyes were colder as she pulled back and spoke. "Don't ever ask to leave this tower again."

Rose dropped her head. "Yes, Mother."

Mother lifted Rose's chin with a finger. "I love you very much, you know that."

Rose nodded, tears standing in her eyes. "I love you more."

"I love you the most." She kissed the top of Rose's head. "And don't you forget it."

Rose nodded again, stepping backwards and watching her collect her items. 

"I'm off again then! I'll be back around supper!" she cried, snatching up Rose's hair and looping it around the pole. "I'll even bring back your favorite spices!"

"I'll be here," Rose said quietly when she felt Mother's weight let go of her hair. "Right here."


	3. Chapter 3

James Noble was a dashing young man. At least, in his own opinion. Which very few people in the world seemed to share, but that was their loss. After all, people who spent a lot of time with him really liked him - well, anyway, that was probably the case. Honestly, the only people he'd spent any significant time with recently were the Skaro brothers and they weren't exactly the reliable type. Thay was a bit thick and Caan was too outspoken, but they were very good partners in crime.

Speaking of which, James picked up his pace. He could hear the brothers behind him and behind them the soldiers of the royal guard. There was _really_ no reason for all of those soldiers to be after him! After all, all they'd done had been the tiny little theft of the Lost Princess' diadem. Not like she needed it anymore; he didn't know what the big deal was!

It had been one of his slickest jobs yet, if he did say so himself. They had stolen the diadem straight from the Throne Room itself. Or, at least, a room that was pretty close to the Throne Room and guarded with at least dozen soldiers. They were the soldiers currently after him, led by his arch-nemesis, a soldier named Adam Mitchell and his horse Arthur. (It was more Arthur that he hated than Adam, honestly it was like Arthur was _sentient_ the way he tracked down James!)

"I want a castle, guys!" James shouted to the brothers as they ran. "Can't you picture me in a castle?"

"We escape this - you can buy your own castle!" one of the brothers yelled. He couldn't tell which one, they were very hard to tell apart, unless they were standing side-by-side.

"Think of everything we've seen and it's only eight in the morning!" James crowed. "Guys, this is a very big day!"

"Would you shut up!"

He laughed to himself, picking up his pace as they crossed the bridge out of town and turned into the forest. These were the moments he lived for - running for his life after pulling off some theft or other. His reputation was growing for being the most notorious thief in Gallifrey and that's how he liked it. 

James hadn't _always_ wanted to be a thief. He was fairly certain no one ever set their heart on being the World's Greatest Thief when they were young, but needs must and all that. And if he was going to do something, he was going to do it better than anyone else. That's just how he lived his life.

He paused in his running, supporting his weight against a tree while he waited to catch his breath. Those soldiers were very persistent and Arthur wasn't one to give up a chase when he had the scent. As James breathed, his attention was arrested by two Wanted Posters nailed to the tree. The bottom poster was of the Skaro brothers and frankly it was a pretty good drawing - it really captured their big noses and various bulges.

But the top picture was of him and he ripped it off the tree, holding it in shaking hands.

"No, no, no, no, no!" he exclaimed. "This is bad, this is very bad!"

He flipped it to show the brothers who were standing several paces away, hands on their knees as they struggled to breathe.

"They just can't get my nose right!" he complained. "It's not that big. Be honest now, it's not, right? I think they're doing this just to mess with me now."

He shuddered as he stared at the drawing. His nose was drawn as bulbous and over-sized, nothing like his aquiline nose. And the hair! The hair on the drawing was too flat to be considered anything at all like his own perfect hair.

"Who cares?" snarled Thay.

"Easy for you to say," James sighed, bending down to study the drawing of the two of them closer. "You guys look amazing; so true to life!"

The sudden sound of neighing echoed through the trees and he straightened up in a hurry. That was Arthur's particular neigh; he was certain of it. That sound inhabited his dreams more often than not.

Flipping around, he looked up and saw the whole party of soldiers standing on an overlook just above them. Arthur growled in that way that only he could and the party wheeled around, looking for the best path to take down to them.

The three of them took off again, racing through the woods. Tree branches and brambles tore at James' clothes as he ran, he bashed his shin on a rock, and a patch of thorns tore a nice long scratch through his right cheek, but James had never felt more alive. He'd never been captured before and he knew this time would be no different.

A second later he skidded to a halt, the Skaro brothers almost slamming into him. They had come to a dead end. On three sides of them rose sheer cliffs and they could hear the swift approaching horse's hooves behind them.

"Okay, here's the plan," James said, walking forward and patting the side of the cliff. "Give me a boost and I'll pull you up!"

The brothers looked at each other. "Give us the satchel first," Caan demanded.

James looked down at the leather satchel. His hand closed over it convulsively. Inside lay the precious diadem, the whole purpose of this escape. He backed up half a step.

"What?" he cried. "I just...you don't trust me? After everything we've been through together?"

They stared at him, unimpressed. He supposed they had a point - after all, they hadn't met because they had all been upholding the law so well.

"Ouch," he said, putting one hand on his heart. "That hurts."

He passed over the satchel to Caan willingly enough, ideas already whirling through his mind. They'd get a lot of money for the diadem split three ways but he'd get even more if he kept it all for himself. This cliff might be seen as a roadblock for some, but nothing was a true roadblock for James Noble, merely a temporary setback.

Thay was the taller and stronger of the brothers and Caan climbed on his shoulders. Thin and wiry, James clambered over them, not taking care to avoid tramping on fingers and ears on his way up. He slid the satchel over Caan as he climbed, making sure to land his boot heavily on the man's fingers as he did so. Caan didn't even notice the loss and James grinned to himself; he hadn't been called the Fastest Fingers in Gallifrey at the age of eight for nothing.

Grasping the edge of the cliff, he hoisted himself up and over and then turned and looked down at the brothers.

"Now help us up, pretty boy!" Caan commanded, holding out a hand.

"Yeah, about that," James said, letting the satchel swing free. "Sorry, my hands are full!"

He winked and leaped to his feet, taking off deeper into the woods. Behind him he could hear the brothers yelling after him and he let his laughter echo backwards. These were the moments that made life worth living.

A second later, the annoyed whinny of Arthur sounded and he let out a very undignified shriek. Apparently his troubles weren't completely behind him. James wheeled around and raced in the opposite direction, leaping downed logs and small streams alike in his haste. 

He dived underneath a partially fallen tree just as the whine of arrows filled the air. He gasped as they embedded in the tree, not six centimeters from his stomach. That was a little too close for comfort, in his opinion. With a renewed energy he darted onward, this time dodging flora, fauna, and arrows. 

The soldiers, led by Arthur and Adam, were hot on his heels and he could practically feel their hot breath on the back of his neck. He chanced a glace behind him every so often and each time it seemed like they were closer. He almost wished he hadn't left behind the brothers quite so early; this would have been the perfect time to sacrifice one or the other or both.

Arthur ran like a horse possessed. James desperately tried to stay at least five paces ahead, but it wasn't very easy. Especially considering that the horse was running with four legs and he was only running with two. An unfair advantage, he rather thought. However, up ahead was a spot he had used before and he knew how to use it to raise the odds in his favor.

Grabbing a rope, he kicked off from the ground with some effort and swung outwards in a large arc. It was enough to swing him around the tree and kick Adam off the horse, landing himself firmly on Arthur's back. Adam landed hard in the underbrush and James crowed with delight as he spurred Arthur faster.

Arthur was extremely displeased about his sudden switch of riders and was not keen on having James on his back at all. He laid back his ears and skidded to a halt so quickly he almost sat down. 

James gulped as the horse's head swung round to glare at him, the whites of his eyes showing. There was look of such hatred in Arthur's eyes one could almost be led to believe the horse was more human than a human. 

"Come on, fleabag!" James growled, kicking him in the ribs. "Forward! I don't have time for this."

As he spoke, the satchel swung forward and Arthur snapped at it, his head twisting around to follow the movement of the bag.

"Oh no you don't!" James cried, drawing it backwards out of the reach of the deranged animal. 

Arthur immediately began rearing, attempting to dislodge James and snatch the satchel in the same wild movement. It was all James could do it cling to his seat, holding the reigns with one hand (not that they were doing him any good whatsoever), and desperately keeping the satchel out of the horse's reach. 

"Listen! You don't want this!" he cried as the horse's movements became more violent. He started to picture himself thrown to the ground at any moment. "No! Stop it! Stop doing that at once!"

They were both so focused on the struggle that neither noticed the edge of the cliff, and a moment later they were both careening over the edge. James looked over at the horse as they fell, the terror he was feeling reflected back at him and for a moment he almost felt bad for the animal, but then the horse's eyes narrowed (something he hadn't previously been aware that horse's eyes could do) and he quickly forgot that sort of ridiculous nonsense. 

He landed hard on the ground, but thankfully it was on top of a large spot of ferns and moss. He lay for a moment, the wind knocked out of him, assessing his body for any broken bones. Thankfully he appeared intact and, after picking some leaves and branches out of his frankly magnificent hair, he struggled to his feet and hid behind a nearby boulder.

James could hear Arthur's insatiable snorting and knew he was tracking him down with as much single-minded focus as any bloodhound. But he wasn't a bloodhound, he was a horse, and so a moment later the horse's obnoxious hide vanished over a hilltop. 

Letting out a sigh of relief, he stepped out into the open only to hear the whinny of that blasted horse start to return in his direction. With a squeak of alarm he reached out an arm only for it to vanish through a tangle of vines. He narrowed his eyes and followed his arm into a cool cave. 

Vaguely he could still hear Arthur's incensed snorts, but the further he traveled through the cave the more they faded. The cave meandered and James took the time to take some measured breaths, hoping to calm his racing heart. He loved these adrenaline rushes, he really did, but that last one had maybe been a little too close for comfort. He ran his hands through his hair, ensuring it returned to its normal gravity-defying style, and enjoyed the stroll with no brothers or soldiers or insane horses following behind him. 

Eventually he came to the end of the cave and emerged into a tranquil meadow. At the far end was a crashing waterfall and smack dab in the middle of the meadow was a giant stone tower. It was so beautiful, he just stood and admired it for a moment. He could hardly believe he'd never stumbled across it before; he had always been certain there was no part of this forest he hadn't explored, but apparently Gallifrey could still surprise him.

And then the worst sound in the world came to him, carried on the breeze: Arthur's triumphant neighing. His breath caught in his throat and he hurried forward. There was no way that Arthur, even taking into account all of his many un-horse-like characteristics, could climb a tower.

The tower was built of jutting stones and, as there appeared to be no door at the base, James scaled the side. He had done his fair share (sometimes more than his fair share) of rock climbing and, though this tower was perilously high, he had a lot of faith in his own abilities. 

He reached the top ledge at last and hoisted himself up and over the window, slamming the shutter closed behind him. He didn't bother glancing around the tower, instead he flipped open the satchel to admire his treasure.

"Ahh," he sighed as he beheld his sparkling treasure. "Alone at last."

And then something hard collided with his head and he knew no more.


	4. Chapter 4

Rose let out the startled scream she hadn't had a chance to release since the moment the strange man had leaped through her window. She held the frying pan, the closest thing she'd had to a weapon, between her shaking hands as she stared down at him.

From this angle he almost looked not scary, but her mother's warnings were ringing in her ears and she approached him slowly, holding the frying pan out in front of her in case he suddenly moved or woke up. Her quiet footsteps didn't wake him, and so she prodded at his head with the pan. It flopped to one side and she gasped at the view of his face. His features were oddly pleasing.

She glanced over where Chip sat nearby observing the proceedings.

"What do I do?" she whispered in a breathy voice.

Chip stretched and then hissed at the strange man

Rose nodded, knowing he would soon wake and try to have his way with her. Her eyes grew wide with the thought and she used the handle of the pan to open his lips to check if his teeth were sharp and pointed like she'd always believed all men's teeth were. The teeth that met her eyes were straight and white and she had the sudden thought she would like to see them in a grin.

His fringe had fallen in his eyes and she shifted it up with the pan's handle, her eyes growing even wider as she stared at him. The men that had haunted her dreams after her mother's blood-curdling stories always had sharp teeth and horns and the edges of their mouths dripped blood. This man...his face looked kind and his hair looked soft. She stretched out one hand towards it, wanting to know what it would feel like, and then gasped as his eyes suddenly flew open.

Without stopping to think, she smacked him with the pan and watched his eyes slam closed again. She didn't know what to do with him and she dragged him across the room, intent on hiding him in the closet. She grunted with the exertion; he was a great deal heavier than she imagined.

When she got to the closet, however, she struggled with how to lift him into it. She could drag him when he was sliding over a smooth surface, but lifting him off the ground completely was taking upper body strength she simply didn't have. At last, using a combination of her broom, her hair, and brute determination, she managed to heave him upwards and into the closet, slamming the door closed and catching his fingers in the process.

She winced as she carefully pushed those fingers inside, sorry she had hurt him and certain that her hauling and heavings on him had left him with some bruises. Grabbing a chair, she inserted it under the handle of the closet and grabbed her frying pan just in case he had superhuman strength and broke her closet.

"Okay," she breathed at last, giving a wild look at Chip who looked severely amused by the unfolding circumstances. "I've got a person in my closet. A real live person! A person! In my closet! Too weak to handle myself out there, am I, Mother? Ha! Tell that to my frying pan!"

She swung the frying pan through the air and it glanced off the side of her nose. She groaned, rubbing her nose and then caught sight of the abandoned satchel on the floor. She approached it carefully, just in case it had weird men things inside, and then gasped as she caught sight of the most beautiful diadem inside. It had so many jewels set in delicate silver and it seemed to catch the light, sending rainbows in every direction.

Rose turned back towards the mirror, slowly lifting the diadem in the air and placing it on her own head. It fit perfectly, almost as if it had been made for her and she stared at herself, a dawning wonderment filling her. The stones set off her fair skin and seemed to make her eyes less a drab brown and more interesting.

Before she could really focus though, a familiar sound filled the air.

"Rose! Let down your hair!"

Rose gaped and snatched the diadem from her head, flinging it and the satchel underneath the closet, and dashing to the window. She had not been expecting her mother back before sunset.

"One moment, Mother!" she called, dashing for the window and tossing down her hair.

"I have a big surprise!" Mother called and Rose felt her stomach leap.

"Me too!" she said shakily.

"I bet my surprise is bigger!"

"I seriously doubt it," Rose muttered, glancing sideways at the cupboard.

"I brought back fireweed!" Mother announced, landing on the ledge. "I'm going to make hazelnut and fireweed soup for supper, your favorite!"

"Ahh! There's something I need to tell you," Rose began.

"Oh, Rose. You know I hate leaving you after a fight," Mother interrupted, flinging her cloak over a peg. "Especially when I've done absolutely nothing wrong."

"Right!" Rose exclaimed, recognizing the segue. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier and I..."

"I truly hope you're not still talking about the stars," Mother said, in a low tone.

"Floating lights and I..."

"I really thought I told you to drop the issues. I could have sworn I did." Her back was still to Rose as she spoke.

"I'm just saying, you think I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there..."

"Oh, Rose, dear! I know you're not strong enough!" she said, glancing over her shoulder at her.

"But if you just..."

"Rose!" Mother's voice was sharp. "We're done talking about this."

"Trust me..."

"Rose."

"I just..."

"Rose."

"Come on..."

"Rose! Enough with the lights!" She whipped around, her hair flying in her face as her voice rose with intensity. "You are not leaving this tower! Ever!"

Her mother stood, breasts heaving as her eyes flashed angry sparks. Rose froze, her hand poised above the handle to the closet where the strange man was hidden. It had been a long time since Mother had yelled like that and it was bringing back harsh memories. Rose closed her eyes at the tears that threatened to escape. Mother hated a scene.

"Great," Mother sighed, dropping into a chair. "Now you've made me into the bad guy."

Rose looked back and forth between her mother and the closet. Her eyes caught on the painting of floating lights on the ceiling and she clenched and unclenched her fists. A plan was forming in her mind and it would take more courage than anything she had ever done in her life.

"All I was going to say, Mother," she said gently, not wanting to incite more rage, "is that I know what I want for my birthday now."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"New paint," Rose said, infusing her voice with as much cheer as she could muster. "Paint from those white shells you once brought me."

"That's a very long trip, Rose! Almost a week's time!" Mother exclaimed, lowering her hand from her face and looking at her accusingly.

"I just thought it would be a better idea than the..." she paused and then finished slowly, "stars."

Mother's eyes softened as she heard Rose's acquiescence and she stood up and walked over to her. "Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"

"I know I'm safe as long as I'm here." Rose hugged her, closing her eyes and hoping against hope that Mother had bought every word.

Mother kissed the top of her head and then sent Rose off to pack her a basket full of the choicest morsels of food in the house. Rose didn't skimp this time, like she'd done in the past, picking out the rosiest apples and the most mouth-watering bits of cheese and bread and cake for Mother's journey.

She carried the basket over to where Mother was fastening her cloak again.

"I do so hate to miss your birthday," she said, poking Rose's nose. "I'll be back in a week's time and we'll celebrate then. I love you very much dear."

"I love you more."

"I love you most."

Rose watched Mother walk across the meadow and then turn back to wave right before she vanished under the rocks. She leaned on the ledge and watched as Mother walked between the vines and wondered, not for the first time, what lay behind that passage. But then she turned back towards the closet - it was almost time to find out.

She grabbed up the frying pan and approached the cupboard, slowly removing the chair and dragging it out of the way. She held the frying pan in front of her in case the man burst forth, but it was still very quiet. Carefully she opened the doors and then leaped to the side, holding the frying pan at the ready.

The man toppled forward, landing hard on his face and slumping to the ground, his boots still hooked over the edge of the cupboard. She tiptoed closer, waiting to see what he would do next. Apparently the answer was nothing; he was still passed out.

With a determined sigh, Rose pulled and dragged him to the chair and lifted him bodily into it, using part of her hair to secure him down since she had a distinct lack of rope at hand. Even upright he still showed no signs of waking up. Chip, having overcome his own surprise at their unexpected visitor, stalked over.

The cat leaped onto the man's lap and then shoulder, sniffing around his face and ear and meowing loudly. Rose stood a distance away, hidden in shadow, frying pan still up in case the man burst free, and watched Chip's thorough examination. At first nothing seemed to phase him until Chip suddenly bit down on the man's earlobe and then his eyes jerked open and he gasped as he took in his predicament.

"Is this hair?" he asked aloud, wonder coloring his voice.

"Struggling is...struggling will get you nowhere," Rose managed, mentally patting herself on the back for addressing the man.

"I know why you're here," Rose went on, advancing a half a step. "And I'm not afraid of you!"

She crept a little closer, emerging into the light.

"What?" the man said, craning his neck to peer at her.

"Who are you?" she demanded, raising the frying pan higher. "And how did you find me?"

"Ahhh." The man released his breath with a long sigh and stared at Rose.

Rose stared right back. He really was very different than her mother's lurid descriptions of men. Now that his eyes were open Rose could see they were a similar shade of brown as her own, except his eyes looked inquisitive and interesting and not boring like hers. His hair had a life of its own, sticking up in all directions even more after his time spent in the closet. Her fingers twitched again with the desire to touch the strands and she tightened her grip around the frying pan. This was probably one of his manly magical powers designed to trap her and she wouldn't fall for it.

"Who are you?" she repeated. "And how did you find me?"

He cleared his throat and spoke, his voice a lilting tone that pricked up Chip's ears. "I know not who you are, oh fair maiden, nor how I came to find you, but may I just say...hello!"

His voice had changed at the last word and his left eyebrow wiggled. She narrowed her eyes at him, not sure what his game was.

"How're you doing?" he asked, tilting his head. "The name's Noble, James Noble."

She shook her head at him. "You're not so impressive!" she told him, swinging the pan in his direction and causing him to pull his head back sharply. "Who else knows my location, James Noble?"

"Alright, blondie," he started.

"Rose," she corrected, steadying the pan so it was aimed at the center of his forehead.

"Rose...just Rose? No last name?"

At her glare, he nodded hurriedly and went on, "Here's the deal. I was in a situation, a sticky situation if you will. I was gallivanting through the forest, practically minding my own business. I came across your tower and..."

He stopped short, his eyes going wide and his head turning in all directions. "Hold on! Whoa! Where is it? What've you done with it? Oh no! Where is my satchel?"

She grinned, rocking back on her heels. "I've hidden it. Somewhere you'll never find it."

He glanced around the tower, narrowing his eyes. "It's under that closet, isn't it?"

Rose leaned forward and smacked him hard with the pan, watching with satisfaction as his chocolate brown eyes closed and his body sagged forward.


	5. Chapter 5

James opened his eyes slowly. His head was pounding with an insane ferocity and he moaned in pain. He tried to lift a hand to touch the egg he could feel formed on the side of his head, but couldn't. Looking down he groaned as he remembered everything that had happened last time he had woken. Turning his head carefully, he caught sight of Rose.

She was standing near him, arms folded in triumph, and holding the dreaded frying pan in hand. He had to admit, albeit grudgingly, that she was very beautiful. Her eyes were the color of the type of whiskey he planned to buy when he finally sold that accursed diadem and her hair, blimey! It was long and blonde and frankly the most impressive thing he'd ever seen. 

"Now, it's hidden where you'll never find it," she announced.

He rolled his eyes, but before he could form words she started talking, walking around him in circles as she did. 

"What do you want with my hair?" she demanded and he almost swallowed his tongue.

"What?" he said, baffled, when he could breathe.

"Do you want to cut it?" she asked. "Sell it?"

"No!" he cried. "Listen! The only thing I want to do with your hair is to get out of it! Literally!" 

That was true, at least mostly. He also wanted to know if it was as silky smooth as it seemed sometime when it was not binding him to a chair. 

"Wait!" she paused, staring at him as if assessing his sincerity. "You don't want my hair?"

"Why would I want your hair? Is that a frequent thing for you? Men lining up to take your hair?" He rolled his eyes. "Look! I was being chased! I saw a tower! I climbed up it! And that's why I'm here! It has nothing to do with your hair!"

"You're telling the truth?" she asked.

"Yes!" he exclaimed.

Before he could say anything else - and he could talk with the best of them - the cat suddenly darted up his leg and then his body, landing on his shoulder and making firm and resolute eye contact. James shrank away. He wasn't a huge fan of cats at the best of times and this was hardly the best of times. The man and the cat stared at each other for a long, a very long, moment. At last the cat turned, its tail swishing against James' nose and making him sneeze, and leapt into Rose's arms.

Rose turned away from him, holding the cat and whispering to it. James raised his eyebrow at the sight. Clearly this woman was as deranged as she was beautiful. Wait! That's not what he meant! He meant...oh, never mind. He ignored his wayward thoughts and focused on attempting to free himself from the luxurious hair holding him in place.

"Okay, James Noble!" Rose said in a loud voice, spinning around. "I'm prepared to offer you a deal."

"A deal?" he exclaimed. "You! Offer me a deal?"

"Look here!" She leaped up onto the fireplace mantel, not taking any notice of the fact that in so doing it jerked his chair sideways and tipped him flat on his face. "Do you know what these are?"

She drew back a curtain and he stared upwards. She had drawn the lanterns that were released every year for the Lost Princess. The same Lost Princess whose diadem was currently somewhere in this very tower. He wrinkled his nose, testing in case it was broken by his ungraceful fall. 

"Do you mean the lanterns they do for the princess?" he asked, his voice coming out all sorts of smushed. 

"Lanterns! I knew they weren't stars!" she said to herself in a carrying whisper. "Well! Tomorrow evening," she continued in a louder voice, "they will light the night sky with these _lanterns_ and you will act as my guide and take me to see them and...return me home safely! Then - and only then! Will I return your satchel to you! That is your deal!"

"Was that supposed to sound impressive?" he asked, the effect sort of ruined since he was still face down on the floor. 

He pretended to think about it as he used his impressive upper body strength to flip his chair back to an upright position. He chanced a glance at her to see if she had been astounded by his feat of strength and was somewhat disappointed to see she hadn't seemed to notice. 

"Yeah," he said, sticking his nose in the air. "No can do. Unfortunately the kingdom and I aren't exactly on, what would you call it? Oh yeah, _speaking terms_ at the moment so I won't be taking you anywhere."

Rose glanced at Chip who hissed in the direction of James. The hiss seemed to give her strength and she hopped down from the mantel and stalked towards him.

"Something brought you here, James Noble. Call it what you will - fate, destiny..."

"Being chased by a horse," he interrupted. 

"So I have made my decision to trust you," she continued, unfazed. 

"A horrible decision, really. You should definitely not do that."

"But trust me," she said, as she used her hair to tip him forward so that he was suspended on just the chair's front two legs, his face inches from Rose's own. "You can tear this tower apart brick by brick, but you will never find your precious satchel without my help."

Chip was prowling around Rose's shoulders and that was distracting, but being inches from Rose's face was distracting enough all on its own. Her eyes were so much more appealing up close and her skin looked as soft as her hair. His fingers twitched with the desire to find out and he ruthlessly stamped down the urge.

He cleared his throat before trusting his voice. "Let me just get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns and bring you back home and you'll give me my satchel back?"

"I promise," she said. "And when I promise something? I never, ever, ever break that promise."

For a moment, he almost believed her. He thought he'd believe anything she said with her eyes so wide like that and so close to his own, those plump lips forming words. And then reality made itself known and he remembered that he was James Noble.

"Alright, listen," he said. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice."

He tipped his head downwards, collecting all the charm he'd used on hundreds of girls in the past, and then he lifted his face and gave Rose his most winning smolder. Her expression didn't change its single-minded determination and he tilted his head even further, widening his puppy dog eyes. Still nothing.

"This doesn't usually happen," he admitted. "Must be an off day for me. Something in the air maybe? You haven't got any mind-alternating drugs in here? Hallucinogens?"

Her resolute expression stayed the same and he sighed.

"Fine! I'll take you to see the lanterns!"

"Really?!" Her eyes lit up with joy and she let go of his chair in her excitement.

Temporarily off-balance he watched in horror as the ground rushed up to meet him.

"Ouch," he groaned.

"Oops!"

"I think you really did break my nose this time!"

She helped him to his feet, finally unwinding her massively long hair from his body and he took the chance to stretch his limbs and glance around the tower for ideas on where she might have hidden the satchel and, more importantly, the diadem. Somehow though he really did believe her when she said he wouldn't be able to find it on her own. 

A moment later he was painstakingly climbing back down the outside of the tower. She was still standing on the ledge above him and seemed in no hurry to join him, despite her earlier eagerness.

"You coming, Rose?" he asked.

Rose. He liked the name. It fit her, somehow. He wished he knew the rest of her name - it sounded somewhat incomplete just on its own. Anyway, Rose continued to hesitate above him. 

"Rose!" he called. "I can't guide you to the lanterns if you don't actually leave the tower."

And then her hair whooshed past him and she sailed past him, stopping the second before she landed on the ground. He froze mid-climb, staring down at her and wondering at that slick descent. She continued to delay her exit for as long as it took him to complete his own descent. Then, one shaking foot at a time, she stepped onto the grass. 

The next second she had dropped to her knees and was running both hands on the ground, crowing about the smell of the grass and the dirt. She laid down and rolled in the grass, pausing only to pluck some flowers before leaping to her feet and dancing in circles in the meadow, gasping in shock when her tripping footsteps brought her into the brook. 

James leaned against the tower and watched her. There was something in her manic movement that arrested him, held captive by her obvious joy as she seemed to discover the world for the first time. One moment she was bent running her fingers over a smooth stone, the next her nose was buried in a patch of moss or running after a red-breasted robin. 

A song was spilling from her lips as she leaped, danced, and cavorted around the meadow. James had never heard anything as beautiful as her singing and it made something deep inside of him loosen, something he hadn't thought about since...well, for a very long time.

Her wild dance brought her back to his side and she clutched his sleeve, hardly seeming aware that she was doing it.

"I can't believe I did this!" she cried, her eyes alight with joy and then, "I can't believe I did this."

Her eyes went wider and wider and fear filled them. "I can't believe I did this!" she repeated again, this time in a tone tinged with alarm.

"You mentioned that," he said dryly.

"Mother would be furious!" she exclaimed, ignoring him completely. "But that's okay...what she won't know, won't kill her, right?"

"So, I've heard..."

But she was off again. "Oh my gosh! What have I done? I am a horrible daughter!"

Her eyes caught sight of a field of flowers and she darted away from him towards them, dropping to her knees and burying her face in their fragrance. James stared at her, growing slightly concerned about the trip ahead if this was her response to the first few moments.

"I'm never going back!" she yelled, startling a nearby flock of birds. "Look at all of this!"

A moment later, "I should definitely go back. I am a despicable human being."

He strolled over to where she was huddled in the flowers, head in her hands. Part of him wanted to comfort her obvious distress, but he'd ignored that part of himself for so long it was easy to do so now. 

"You know," he started. "I can't help noticing you seem a little...a lot...eh, semantics... _conflicted_ about this trip. I'm only picking up bits and pieces here and there, of course. Overprotective mother, forbidden road trip - it's just making a picture in my mind. But this is part of growing up, a little rebellion, a little adventure - healthy even."

Her eyes lit up as she stared at him and it made him feel a little bit worse about himself. "You think?" she stammered.

"Yeah!" he said, trying to ignore her hopeful eyes. "You're way over thinking this. Does your mother deserve it? No! Will it break her heart for all eternity? Probably!"

"Break her heart?" Rose whispered, the light leaving her eyes.

"Yep!"

"For all eternity?"

"Oh, undoubtedly." He stared into the distance and tried to ignore his nagging conscience. It had been awhile since he'd even remembered he had such a thing as a conscience. "Alright, I can't believe I'm saying this, but...I'm letting you out of the deal."

"What?" she exclaimed.

"Yep." He snatched up her forgotten frying pan and the startled cat and shoved them at her. "I'm taking you home. I get back my satchel; you get back a mother/daughter relationship that is stronger than ever!"

"No!" She stopped in her tracks, forcing him to stop too. "I'm going to see the lanterns!"

"Oh come on!" he groaned. "What's it going to take for me to get my satchel back?"

She raised her pan at his face menacingly. "I will use this."

Just then a nearby bush began to shake and he looked at it in alarm, thinking it was going to be the dreaded Arthur. It was nothing like Rose's fear though. She catapulted herself through the air and clutched his sleeve, cowering behind him.

"Is it thugs? Ruffians? Thieves?" she demanded. "Are they coming for me?"

A rabbit broke free of the bush and landed with a small plop in front of them.

"It's a rabbit, but stay calm - it can probably smell fear," he said, rolling his eyes only slightly.

"Oh," she chuckled, unwrapping her arms from him. "Sorry! I'm a little jumpy!"

He was almost sad to lose her presence and swiftly chastised himself for the slip in his emotional state. None of that!

"Probably best to avoid ruffians and thugs and thieves though, huh?" he asked, an even better idea on how to scare off his unwanted companion entering his brain.

"Yeah," she agreed. "That'd definitely be best."

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "I know a great place to eat lunch. It has chips; I just bet you've never had chips."

"Where? And what are chips?"

"Oh, don't you worry," he said, grabbing her hand without thinking. "You'll know it when you smell it."

They set off through the forest and he tried to ignore the now constant pricking of his conscience, especially as she exclaimed with delight over perfectly ordinary everyday foresty things like plants and streams and flowers and moss and interesting knots on trees. This was the best plan. Really. It was.


	6. Chapter 6

Rose danced along beside James, reveling in the sights and sounds of the outside world. James had narrowed his eyes at her bare feet saying something about needing shoes, but she had shaken her head. She loved the feel of the soft grass, the smooth dirt, and the rough leaves and bark beneath her feet. The wind on her bare arms felt like electric shocks, and the warm smell of the earth was an aroma she was certain she would never tire of inhaling. 

James hadn't let go of her hand, which she thought was odd, but probably he was worried about her after she had gotten scared about the rabbit. She was embarrassed about that now - she had seen rabbits before and had eaten rabbit stew - but there was something different about seeing one with its twitching nose up close than it was seeing them from hundreds of feet in the air or skinned in a bag given to her by her mother.

Her mother. Rose's heart skipped a beat as she thought of her response to Rose's disappearance. If she was lucky, she had a week before Mother reappeared looking for her and by then she would have seen the lights and be safely back in the confines of the tower. Even as she thought it though, the idea of being locked up again after obtaining her freedom constricted her breathing. Part of her wondered why she hadn't done this before, but one thought of the fear she could feel bubbling in her chest at the thought of Mother returning early was enough to remind her of exactly why she'd never dared to venture out. 

A sudden cold wind swept over her, ruffling the branches and raising the tiny hairs on the back of her neck. She whipped around, certain she could glimpse her mother behind the surrounding trees.

"Everything okay there?" James' voice drawled in her ear. 

She jumped, hating that she constantly felt embarrassed around him. There was nothing wrong with being scared of things, nothing at all.

"I'm fine!" she announced, disentangling their hands and then immediately wishing she hadn't.

She might not like him, but he was her anchor out here and she needed him to protect her. Or, at the very least, to guide her to see the lanterns. She really was certain they were part of a puzzle that she needed to piece together in order to get her life started. Or something like that. 

Chip wound around her ankles as she walked and she stooped down to scoop him up, rubbing her face in his soft fur. 

"Aren't you a beautiful boy," she crooned to him.

"Yep!" James exclaimed. "I'm been experimenting with backcombing...oh, you're talking to your cat."

Rose narrowed his eyes at him. "Why would I be talking to you?"

"Oh look!" he declared, ignoring her question. "We're here."

He pointed to a sign on the road. It read: Platform One. 

"Don't worry," James said airily. "Very quaint place. No thieves or ruffians to be seen. It'll be absolutely perfect for you. I definitely wouldn't want you to get scared and give up on this whole adventure!"

"Well, it doesn't sound too bad."

She was proud at how her voice barely shook as she spoke. She had read about restaurants of course, but hadn't ever truly believed she would set foot in one. And now here they were! One of her dreams was about to come true. 

Rose followed after James as they continued down the path towards the building. It certainly looked quaint enough, a long, low building built right into the hillside. There were horses standing out front and she gave one an affectionate pat, giving James an odd look when he side-stepped the horses completely with an expression on his face she could only interpret as distrust. 

"Come on!" he encouraged her to stay with him as they walked up the steps to Platform One.

James flung open the door and motioned for her to precede him into the building. She took one step and froze. Every single person inside was not only male, but perfectly matched every single description her mother had ever given her of thieves and ruffians and thugs and every other synonym for that there was in the world. 

She held out the frying pan in front of her, hoping it would make her look more dangerous. Though she was certain she could never be more dangerous than the faces looking back at her. Half of them had eyepatches or missing limbs, and one or two even appeared to have fangs. 

Behind her James grabbed her shoulder. "Smell that?" he asked, taking a deep breath himself. "That's the finest smell of scoundrel there is. Really it's one part man smell and one part really bad man smell. I don't know why but I'm getting hints of the color brown, maybe some green thrown in just for the flair? I don't know, what do you think?"

He was guiding her further into the room and she gasped as the men's eyes followed their progress, blocking their escape as they inevitably made their way to the main counter. 

"That's a lot of hair," one of the strangers growled and she gasped.

"She's growing it out," James told him. "Hey is that blood in your mustache? Hey Rose! Look at this - he's got blood in his mustache!"

Rose tripped backwards, out of James' grip and stumbled into a very large man seated at the counter. That man growled as he turned around and Rose waved her frying pan. She knew James was trying to scare her and his next words confirmed it.

"You don't look so good, you doing okay? Maybe we should get you back home, call it a good half-day adventure. After all, if you can't handle this place, well, what can I say? It's basically a five-star establishment. Maybe even ten stars, depending on the rating system and how drunk the rater was at the time." He laughed. "And if this place scares you, well..." He let his sentence trail off.

They were almost to the door when a man suddenly stood and slammed it shut, his hand lingering over a poster. He narrowed his eyes at James. 

"Is this you?" he growled.

James moved the man's hand a bit and revealed the drawing. The man in the drawing did look a lot like James except his nose was exceptionally large and his ears stuck out at odd angles. Above the drawing read the word: Wanted, and below: Reward: Five Hundred Gold Pieces.

"Now they're just being mean," James sighed.

"Oh it's him alright," another man said, this one with a hook for a hand and scar on his left cheek. "Mickey, go find some soldiers."

A young man nodded and exited the building while the man with the hook continued to advance. He snatched the front of James' shirt and dragged him closer. 

"That reward's gonna buy me a new hook," he muttered, his hook very close to James' neck.

Before Rose or James could respond, another man grabbed him away, saying something about needing the money more and then another man got involved and then another and another and another until Rose could hardly keep track of them all. She held her frying pan tightly, not at all sure what her options were, but determined not to lose James just because of this band of obvious thieves and ruffians. Even if the Wanted poster seemed to suggest that James himself might possibly be one such thief and ruffian combined.

It seemed like the mob was planning to tear James limb from limb without bothering to wait for the soldiers, and Rose knew she had to do something. Using her hair, she lassoed a large stick hanging from the roof and yanked hard on it. It fell on the very largest of the men and everyone froze.

"Put down my man!" she shouted into the sudden silence.

All eyes were fixed on her and none of them looked terribly happy at the interruption, but after the day she was having she almost couldn't be bothered to care.

"Listen!" she cried. "I don't really know where I am, but I need him to take me to see the lanterns because I've been dreaming about the lanterns basically my entire life. Find your humanity please! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?"

The silence remained when she was done her impassioned speech. The men continued to glare at her and James stared at her with a different sort of look than he had yet given her. Just when she was certain they were going to ignore her outburst and she would be forced to find the lanterns on her own, the one on which she had dropped the stick let go of his hold on James and began stalking towards her.

He was carrying a very large ax and the look on his face was not encouraging. Behind his shoulder, Rose could see them place James on a high shelf and she almost, almost smiled, but not quite, because the strange man was still advancing. He stopped when he was a hairsbreadth away.

"I've had a dream," he admitted. "Once."

"Yeah?" Rose asked in a small voice. "What was it?"

"To be a concert pianist," he said, dropping heavily into the stool next to her. "Can't you see me? Sitting up on stage tickling the ivories?"

Rose reached out and timidly patted his shoulder. "I can, actually. I'd bet you'd be really good too."

"I always thought so. I used to play when I was young."

"I had a dream too," another man walked over to them. 

"What was your dream?" she asked, her voice a little stronger.

"To find my true love," he said, turning a brilliant red and handing her a daisy. "I know I'm not very handsome, but I still dream about it."

"You will!" Rose encouraged him.

"I have a dream to be an interior designer!" A man with a pegleg spoke up.

"I can knit scarves and mittens!"

"Moxx can do the best impressions!"

"You should see Lute's woodcarvings!"

"Ianto makes the best coffee!"

"My cupcakes are divine!"

The voices rained down thick and fast as the men crowded around her, each one desperate for her to hear about his dream. Rose nodded and agreed, trying to hear each of them. As they spoke they gradually grew less scary. Oh, they still had the scars and the missing limb, but up close there were no pointy teeth and none of them were trying to touch her and when they smiled, well, her heart turned over for their innocent and beautiful dreams.

"What about you?" boomed the first man and they all turned towards him.

He was talking to James, who was still sat upon the high shelf. 

"Who, me?" James asked. "I don't have a dream."

Instantly everyone in the room had their weapons out and their teeth bared. 

"Oh!" James exclaimed. "I mean! I do have a dream! They are a great deal less touchy-feely than what's been going on here. I'm mostly about being on an island all alone surrounded by enormous piles of money!"

The whole place cheered at that except for Rose, who had the distinct feeling that James wasn't telling the truth. He had lied to her so many times since they had met that she was beginning to hear the tonal shift when he did so. But it wasn't her place to judge or to guess what his dream may actually have been. All she needed him for was to get her to see the lanterns and back safely.

Everyone was soon excitedly sharing more of their dreams and the next thing Rose knew, two of the men had helped her up onto a table and they were toasting her good health while in the corner the man with the hook was playing a rousing tune on the piano. The atmosphere in the place had changed so much since they had walked in, it was hard to believe it was even the same place. 

Before she could really enjoy the experience, the door swung open and the young man named Mickey reappeared.

"I've got the soldiers!" he announced and everyone went completely quiet. James appeared out of nowhere and whisked her down from the table and behind the bar. 

Rose heard the quick tramp of feet and then a new voice roar, "Where's Noble? I know he's here somewhere!"

He slammed his fist on the counter above the spot where James and Rose were hiding. "Find them! Turn the place upside down if you have to!"

Rose chanced a peek behind her through the cracks in the board and watched two men in chains being led in. She elbowed James and nodded towards the crack. He looked through and his face went pale. Apparently those two were people he knew. She began to wonder exactly who her guide really was.

Suddenly the first man with the hook appeared in front of them. He motioned towards the other end of the counter area, pulling a lever which caused a section of the flooring to disappear. Rose and James crawled across the floor to the escape tunnel. 

"Go," the man whispered. "Live your dream!"

"I will!" James assured him.

"Your dream stinks," he said. "I was talking to her."

"I will," Rose told the man softly. "Thank you!"

She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and dropped into the tunnel behind James. Behind them the entrance closed and James snagged a torch from the wall, lighting it with a flourish. The ground underfoot was damp stone and the ceiling wasn't much higher than James' head, but all in all, it wasn't a bad tunnel, if one sort of ignored the moldy smell.

"Well, that was pretty impressive, what you did back there," James said when they had gone a few paces. 

"I know!" Rose squealed and then recollected herself when James raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean, I know. I told you I'd be fine out in the real world."

He grinned at her and Rose felt something in her heart squeeze. It was a real grin, the first one she had seen like it cross his face and it transformed his features.

"So, James, where are you from?" she asked.

"Whoa, whoa! Rose, sorry I don't do backstories! Very complicated things, those. But I've got to say, I'm becoming very interesting in yours! Now I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair..."

"Nope!"

"Or the mother..."

"Uh-uh."

"Frankly, I'm a little bit scared of your cat."

"Chip," Rose informed him, patting the cat who was perched on one shoulder.

"Here's the real question though. If you want to see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before? You're what...eighteen? Nineteen?"

"Uh," Rose stuttered. 

Before she could answer, the tunnel started to shake and the sound of tramping footsteps could be heard. Behind them a hoard of soldiers burst into view.

"James...James!" she yelled. 

He snatched up her hand. "Run!" he called.


	7. Chapter 7

James grabbed Rose's hand and together they raced down the tunnel. It ended rather unexpectedly just around the bend and they skidded to a halt to avoid falling off the cliff that was directly in front of them. James dashed to the edge of the cliff and looked down. There was a rope ladder that swung perilously back and forth in the wind, and it seemed to go down for miles. He had almost made up his mind that they had to take the ladder, since they could still hear the soldiers' pounding footsteps behind them, when across the ravine two figures emerged that took his breath away.

It was the Skaro Brothers and they looked furious. James gulped as they made eye contact with him.

"Who are they?" Rose demanded, seeing where he was looking.

"Uh? Let's just say they don't like me and leave it at that," James said.

The soldiers burst out of the cave behind them. 

"And them?" Rose asked.

"They don't like me either," he admitted.

Behind the soldiers Arthur appeared, neighing triumphantly and practically knocking the soldiers over in his haste to get to James.

"Let me guess..."

"Can we just assume to save time that everyone here doesn't like me?" James cried, hastily looking around for anything that appeared like it would be a viable retreat.

Before he could come up with a plan that didn't involve flinging himself off the cliff and hoping for the best, Rose rolled her eyes and thrust her pan at him. 

"Try to be useful!" she cried.

"What?" he exclaimed.

She ignored him and used her hair to make a lasso and swing it over some overhanging branches. With hardly even a running start, Rose swung out over the ravine and landed on the opposite edge. 

"What?" he repeated and then the sound of a laugh behind him made him whirl around.

Adam was unsheathing his sword. "I've waited a long time for this, James Noble!"

He swung his sword at James and James ducked and then swung the pan at Adam's face. It made contact, causing the soldier's helmet to rattle like a cheap bell. Before he could take a breath, the next soldier was jabbing at him, and again James swung the pan, catching him square in the breastplate. The air was full of swords coming at his face and him bobbing and ducking and weaving while smacking soldiers left and right with the frying pan. For a moment all he concentrated on was staying out of the way and swinging the pan as hard as he could and then, with a mighty uppercut, the last soldier fell.

"Wow! Molto Bene!" James cried, staring at the pan in his hand with admiration. "I have got to get me one of these. Very handy in a tight spot. What's it made out of? Yep, just what I thought - cast iron. Ugh, that's not a good taste."

And then there was another sword in his face. James shrieked when he saw the handle was being gripped in Arthur's strong horse teeth, and then hastily composed himself, parrying the strike with the pan. This battle did not go nearly as well for him as the fighting with the human soldiers. Arthur hadn't spent years in the palace guard for nothing, and he parried and struck and thrusted and dodged with a skill that would make even the most hardened swordsman weep with joy.

As for James, it was making him nearly weep with frustration to be getting beaten by a horse.

"You should know," he yelled while desperately trying to keep his balance, "This is the strangest thing I've ever done! And I once rode naked through town on a donkey wearing a yellow hat on All Hallows Eve for a bet!"

With a decisive neigh, Arthur reared back and struck the pan with all the force of his size and sent it flying out of James' hand off the side of the cliff. As the pan fell, clattering against the rocks, James stared at Arthur and Arthur stared at James - each waiting for the other at a seeming impasse.

"Well, it's not like you can handcuff me..." James said slowly, eyeing the horse and taking a tiny step backwards. "How about best two out of three?" 

"James!" came Rose's shout from behind him and he was sure he had never heard such a beautiful sound.

A moment later her hair, her frankly amazing hair, flew over and wrapped itself around his upper arm, swinging him through the air. Arthur's mouth dropped open as he watched, and James couldn't resist a quick salute, just for fun. It was a short-lived fun though because there in front of him, growing ever larger and looking much more horrible while he was flying through the air towards them on some hair - were the Skaro brothers.

He turned his head backwards to scoff at their gobsmacked expressions and slammed directly into the wall with a pained grunt. He let go of the hair and dropped to the floor of the ravine, wincing as he tried to get his breath back after his wild ride.

"James?" he heard Rose call, but it was interrupted by a more pressing concern.

Arthur had knocked down a large beam and was prancing across the ravine as happily as you please. Rose jumped down towards James, using her hair as leverage, just as Arthur's front hooves touched the ledge where she was standing.

James grabbed Rose's hand as she landed next to him and the two took off, doing what he did best: running. Behind them they could hear the shouts of the now-revived soldiers, the Skaro brothers, and Arthur. But even above all that was the sound of rushing water. The beam that Arthur had knocked over was holding back the dam and water was swiftly turning from a trickle into a great crashing wall. 

They could hear the water knock over their pursuers, but there was no time to rejoice because the water was lapping at their heels as they desperately ran. They were running along the base of the ravine, though, and James knew there was no way they could make it up the sheer walls of the cliff - not even with the help of Rose's hair before the water caught up to them.

Ahead he could see what looked like a drain in the side of the cliff and he pulled Rose behind him, dodging falling rocks and wood as the bridges far above their heads came crashing down. With twin screams of panic, the two of them dodged through the entrance just as the wall of water splashed over their boots. And then a sound to strike fear in his heart rent the air; the sound of a giant boulder slamming the opening to the drain, leaving them trapped inside the cliff.

It was nearly pitch black inside the cave and, though the boulder prevented them from leaving, it definitely didn't prevent the water from rushing inside. James and Rose stood and watched in mutual horror at their predicament. There was some higher ground behind them and they both scrambled upwards, but it led nowhere and the water was quickly rising.

James dived off the rock they were standing on, searching for a way out, a drain, anything that would keep them from drowning in this cave. He was definitely not ready to die and, even if he was, this was not the glorious end he'd always imagined would befall himself. Above him Rose was smacking at the wall of rocks with her frying pan and he climbed onto the ledge and helped with his fists, tearing and clawing at the rocks. All he managed to do was slice his hand open, and he let out a grunt of pain before falling back against the wall with a groan of defeat.

"It's no use," he exclaimed. "I can't see anything down there! It's way too dark in here. I'm sure there's got to be a drain or some rocks I can move or something, but without a light source I'm lost."

The water was up to their waists now and Rose looked frightened, but determined. She took a deep breath in and dove into the water. James froze, staring after her, and then quickly went in, pulling her backwards.

"Hey!" he cried, holding her shoulders and trying to ignore how her dress was clinging to her body. "It's pitch black down there. Besides, can you swim?"

She shook her head, looking miserable. "This is all my fault," she whimpered, pulling backwards. "She was right, I never should have left home."

He leaned against the wall next to her, desperately trying to regain his breath. Her admission tore at him and he wished he could find the words to comfort her. He could talk for all of Gallifrey, but he didn't know how to comfort this woman - not even when it seemed inevitable they were both about to die.

"I'm so sorry, James," she said, her voice breaking.

And suddenly he knew what to say. He couldn't provide her a way out, but he could give her something.

"It's Earl, actually," he said softly. "My real name is Earl Braxiatel. Someone might as well know."

She chuckled, but not in a mean way, and looked at him with a kind expression. He wondered how he'd never noticed how perfectly beautiful her eyes were before this moment.

She wiped her tears. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing," she told him and then her eyes went wide. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing!"

"What?" he gasped.

The water was up to their chests now and rising quickly. Rose grabbed her hair with both hands and gave him a startled look.

"I have magic hair that glows when I sing!" she repeated.

"Well start singing!" he shouted as the water bubbled up to their necks.

She opened her mouth but he barely heard the first few words before the water closed over their heads and he was forced to take a deep breath in the last remaining inch. For a second it was still just as pitch dark under water as it had been. And then, and as long as he lived he would never forget the sight, her hair began to glow. 

He stared at her in shock, unable to believe his eyes. He'd always believed _his_ hair was special, but hers! Blimey! Every bit of her long, exceedingly long, hair began to glow, wrapping around and around and around the space. He barely avoided screaming as he watched the glow spread from the root to the tips. And not just a soft glow like a candle. No - this was a brilliant glow that showed every single square inch of the cave.

James realized he was getting distracted from the point of the glowing hair and used the newfound light to search for a way out. Sure enough near the base he saw loose stones that appeared to be the elusive drain he had been searching for earlier. He dove downwards and she followed him, showing remarkable calmness for someone who had never been underwater before. They worked together to lift the rocks out of the way. 

He felt his hand pop out into air and they frantically scrambled to remove the rest. A moment later the whole pile gave way and he and Rose went shooting forwards, landing with a remarkably large splash into another body of water. He fought for the surface, gaining the bank of the river in a few lengths. He was relieved to see Rose emerge directly after him and they lay panting on the ground, half in and half out of the water. 

It was quite some time before either of them had recovered enough to breathe normally. James was somewhat startled to see Chip emerge also, shaking himself briskly, and immediately sitting down to lick himself dry. He hadn't been aware that the cat had even been with them in the cave. Before he could really focus on that, Rose dragged herself out of the water and he realized there were more pressing matters than her oddly mysterious cat.

"We made it!" she crowed, dripping on the bank.

"Your hair glows," he said.

"We're alive! We made it out of that cave!" she rejoiced, moving further away from him.

"I really didn't see that coming," he said in wonderment. "I've seen a lot of things in my time. Been around awhile. Seen a lot of peculiar sights. But that, that takes the cake!"

"Earl!" her voice echoed backwards and it was the impetus he needed to exit the stream completely. 

"Don't do that," he admonished. 

"Earl!" she repeated.

"No, really, don't do that!"

"Earl!" 

"Your hair glows and you're calling me Earl! I can't hear you right now!" he called. 

"Fine! James!"

"What?"

"It doesn't just glow," she said, pulling it from the stream. 

James stared at her and then his eye fell on Chip. The cat was giving him a satisfied smirk and it sent shivers down his backbone that had nothing to do with the oncoming night air.

"Why is your cat smiling at me?" he asked, giving the cat a wide berth. "And what else does your hair do?"

"I'm cold," Rose announced. "And hungry."

"Rose, what else does your hair do?"

"I'll show you a bit later," she promised. "First, where are we staying tonight?"

He let out a sigh that was more for show than anything else and started walking further into the woods. 

"Come on then, Rose. I've got just the spot."

"Is it another Platform One?" she asked, skipping after him like they hadn't almost drowned in a cave after being chased by soldiers and a very maniacal horse.

"It is not."

"Shame," she said airily. "I rather liked that place."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and she winked at him. He rolled his eyes when she burst out laughing, but couldn't help joining in. After all, this had been a very, very weird day, even by his standards. 

James led the way to one of his many hideouts. This one wasn't one of his better ones, but it was one of his first, and it was almost as big a gesture to take Rose here as it was telling her his name. Even though he didn't tell her, he knew it, and that made a difference. 

Rose set about collecting kindling while James hooked some fish and dived into his secret store for some berries and nuts to go with their feast. She, of course, was very interested in the process of fishing and stuck her nose over his shoulder until he gave in and handed over his line. Rose proved a competent fisherwoman, which didn't surprise him as much as it would have before seeing her charm a bar full of shady men and vault a ravine and light up an underwater cave with her hair alone.

He taught her how to wrap the fish in some wet leaves and place it in the coals. While they waited for it to cook, he turned back to her. 

"Okay, what else can your hair do?" he asked, seating him against a tree and stretching his bare toes to the fire.

"Oh!" She looked away, almost seeming embarrassed. "I can show you."

"Okay...." he said, somewhat concerned.

She sat down next to him and gingerly picked up his injured right hand, wrapping her hair around it.

"You're, uh, being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my hand," he rambled. "Cryptic, mysterious, weird, unusual..."

"Shhh," she motioned at him. "Just...try not to freak out, okay?" 

And, ignoring his look of alarm, she began to sing. It was a low, haunting melody and it made him think about his youth and a grey-eyed woman who used to rock him to sleep. As Rose sang, her hair once again began to glow. 

He watched in wonderment, truly getting a chance to enjoy it since neither of them were holding their breaths underwater, as her hair began to glow. It began at her roots once more and wound its way along her long, gloriously long, mane of hair until it reached the ends wrapped tightly around his hand.

When the last notes died in the air, Rose carefully unwrapped his hand, her hair drooping over her face and obscuring it from view. James slowly turned over his hand and gasped in shock when he saw the unblemished skin. Not only had it removed the fresh cut from the cave, it had also removed an old scar he had on his thumb from a long-ago incident involving a bovine. 

James stared between her and his newly healed hand and, for once in his life, was completely unable to form words.

"Please don't freak out," she murmured, chancing a glance at him.

"Yeah!" he said in a strangled voice. "I'm not freaking out. Are you freaking out? No one's freaking out. Least of all me. Why would I? No reason to freak out at all! You just wrapped your hair on my hand and then sang and it healed my hand completely. Why on earth would anyone freak out about that? I never freak out! Never! Calm, cool, and collected, that's me! Cool as a cucumber! I'm just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities that it possesses that could cause it to be able to do something like this. How long has it been doing that exactly?"

He folded his hands up around his armpits so he wouldn't have to look at his hand.

"Um, forever? I guess?" Rose offered. "Longer than I can remember. Mother says when I was a baby, people tried to cut it because they wanted to take it for themselves. Look."

She reached behind her ear and pushed the masses of golden locks out of the way, revealing a short brown curl. It hung not quite to her shoulder. James leaned forward to see better, his nose almost brushing her shoulder. She jumped a bit when she turned back to look at him, their faces a hairsbreadth apart. 

"When it gets cut it turns brown and loses it's magical powers," she explained, ignoring his proximity. "A gift like that, it should be protected. That's why Mother never let me...that's why I never left.." She sighed, looking away from him.

He leaned back, wrinkling his nose as he tried to reclaim the faint scent of strawberries that lingered on Rose's skin. He cleared his throat, focusing on the discomfort she was showing as she shared her story. 

"That's why you never left the tower," he finished for her when it became apparent she wasn't going to.

She slowly swung her head back to look at him, her eyes meeting his. James caught his breath, suddenly certain he was going to drown for entirely different reasons. 

"And you're still planning to go back?" he asked gently.

"No!" she burst out and then sighed. "Yes? Maybe? I don't know. It's complicated."

She leaned forward and buried her head in her hands. Chip purred and curled up on her feet. James gazed at her, wishing he dared to touch her to offer comfort, but certain he would be rejected.

Slowly Rose lifted her head, making a clear effort to look happy. "So, I'm hungry! Those fish ready yet?"

He smiled at her and then turned to the fire, giving her the out she so desperately needed. "Yep! Just wait till you taste them, Rose! Nothing tastes as good as fresh-caught trout cooked to perfection in the coals where the meat is ready to fall from the bones."

"Sounds perfect!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah," he agreed. "It is." And he wasn't entirely sure if he was still talking about the fish.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that this story has depictions of emotional abuse by the hands of a parent.

Rose groaned as she took the first bite of fish. She'd had fish before, of course. Mother had brought her lines of fish that they had baked or fried with spices, but she'd never had anything quite like this. The flakes were falling from the bone and they melted in her mouth. It was an experience to eat something that had been flopping around the stream just a hour prior, and there was a sense of accomplishment to the meal she'd never quite experienced before.

She looked over at James. He seemed to enjoy their meal as well, as they chewed in relative silence, using their words only to ask to pass the canteen of water or one of the containers of berries or nuts. The sun had truly set now and the fire crackled and sparkled, warming her face and hands and casting shadows that threw James' face into stark relief.

Rose wasn't sure what the odd feeling in her belly was every time she looked at her handsome companion. And he _was_ handsome - she may not know much of anything about men or the world, but she knew that. His hair, his really great hair, was drying in its usual disheveled, spiky mess and he kept running a hand through it, making it stick up even more. She kind of wanted to run her fingers through it as well, to see if it was as soft and smooth as it looked. She narrowed her eyes and looked away. There was no use thinking about things like that; he was just there to escort her to see the lanterns and make sure she got safely back home. And then she would probably never see him again while she spent the rest of her days locked up in her tower.

She felt her stomach clench at the thought and knew she needed to change the subject, to get her mind off of her own problems. 

"So," she started, pushing the mess of fishbones back into the fire. "Earl Braxiatel, huh?"

He wrinkled his nose, similarly disposing of the remains of his meal. "Yeah, bit awful isn't it? I'll spare you the gory details of poor orphan Earl Braxiatel. It's not a fun story, a mood ruiner, you know. Honestly, if you hadn't just eaten you'd never want to eat again after hearing it. It really is that bad."

She shifted closer to him on the log they were using as a bench, widening her eyes as she looked at him.

James looked at her and then away and then back again, chuckling a little. "Okay, fine! I won't tell you about the worst details of little Earl. But, see, there was this book - books are the greatest, you know? Especially in a tight spot. Best weapons in the universe, can transport the reader anywhere! Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, there was this book I used to read to all the younger children. _The Tales of Jamison Noble_! He was a pirate, a swashbuckling rogue! Had mountains of gold, pretty good with the ladies, if you know what I mean! Not that he would ever brag about it, you know."

Rose giggled as she watched James talk. He was so animated, gesturing wildly with his hands, his eyes wide as he rambled.

"Was he a thief too?" she asked.

"Erm, no, I guess not," James said slowly, looking away. Then he regained his animation, "He had all that of that money! He could do anything he wanted, go anywhere he wanted! He traveled everywhere! Wouldn't be surprised if he even made it to other planets - yes, they exist, don't look at me like that! Travel to other planets is definitely a thing we will do someday!

"And, for a kid who had nothing...well, it was just, I don't know. Intoxicating. Exciting. Exhilarating. So many other lovely synonyms. Basically, it seemed like a good option. I convinced the other kids to call me James instead of Earl and..." he paused, looking over at her suddenly. "You can't tell anyone about this, it would ruin my reputation. No coming back from people finding out I'm actually called Earl. If they get my nose wrong now, imagine how much worse it would be if I was named Earl!"

Rose smiled. "Well, we definitely wouldn't want that!"

"A fake reputation is all a man has, after all!" 

She laughed, catching his eye and he laughed along. It died off as they stared at each other. Rose felt butterflies stirring in her stomach as his caramel eyes studied her. She knew that he had shared with her something very few people knew and it warmed her, her eyes softening as she stared at him. 

He dropped his gaze after a moment, scrambling to his feet. 

"I should, I should go get some more firewood," he said, his hand going to the back of his neck.

"Okay," she said softly. "And, for the record, I like Earl Braxiatel just as much as I like James Noble, maybe even a little bit more."

"Yeah?" he asked, looking down at his right hand. "You'd be the first then, but thanks."

Without another word, he turned and walked into the darkness. She stared after him, lost in her thoughts that all centered on a certain tall thief with some really, really great hair. 

A familiar voice behind her in the darkness made her jump.

"Well! I never thought he'd leave! He really can talk, can't he?"

Rose whirled around, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at her mother. 

"Hello, dear!" Mother pulled off the hood of her cloak and advanced.

Rose jumped up and backed away, babbling incoherently in fear. Mother stalked forward until Rose's back hit a tree and then wrapped her arms around Rose. 

"How'd you find me?" Rose asked, tentatively hugging her back.

"Oh, it was easy really. I just listened for the sound of complete and utter betrayal and then followed that. There was also the accompanying notes of my heart breaking, but no matter."

Mother let go of her, but kept one hand securely on Rose's wrist. "We're going home. Now."

Rose kept her footing, refusing to be dragged. "No, you don't understand. I've been on this incredible adventure and I've seen and learned so much. I even, I think I met someone."

"Yes, the thief wanted by the crown. Honestly, I couldn't be prouder." She rolled her eyes and started forward. "Come on, Rose."

"Mother! Wait!" Rose wrenched her hand out of her grip. "I think he likes me."

"Likes you?" Mother swung around. "Please, Rose. That's ridiculous!"

"But Mother!"

"This is why you never should have left. This whole romance you've invented just proves you're too naive to be out on your own. Why would he like you? I mean, really - look at you."

Rose's heart sank as she listened to the familiar diatribe.

"You think he's impressed by...you? Don't be stupid, Rose! Come on!"

"No!" Rose said with all the force she could muster.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, no! I won't come back with you."

"Oh, I see how it is! You know best! You're so mature now! Not even been gone for twelve hours and you're all grown up. Fine, if you're so sure - go ahead and give him this!" 

Mother pulled a familiar leather satchel from beneath her cloak and held it out towards Rose. Rose stared at her, heart sinking as she recognized it. 

"This is why he's here!" Mother said nastily, pulling out the tiara. "Don't be a fool. He's not here for you. He wants this."

She thrust the tiara at Rose and she caught it before it smacked her in the face. 

"Give it to him and then see how long he'll stick around for the likes of you."

"I will!" Rose burst out defiantly, clutching the tiara.

"Trust me." Mother snapped her fingers. "That's how fast he'll disappear on you. So if he's such a dreamboat, go and put him to the test. Just don't come crying to me when he leaves you."

She gave Rose one last scathing look and vanished into the woods, leaving Rose standing frozen in place. 

"So, can I ask you something?" James' voice echoed through the trees and Rose gasped.

She snatched up the satchel from the ground and hastily shoved the tiara into it, before whisking it out of sight behind a tree.

"Is there any chance I'm going to get super-strength in my hand? My handy right hand? Because I am on board for that! Honestly, that would be stupendous. I'd never get beaten in a sword fight again! Especially against Arthur!" 

His voice was closer now and she could hear him tramping through the woods. She stayed with her back to him, worried he'd overheard her conversation with Mother. It wasn't like either one of them had been at all quiet. 

James stopped as he entered the clearing. "Hey, you alright?"

Rose spun around, a smile in place. "Oh yes! I'm alright. Just lost in thought, I guess. It's been a long day!"

He stayed where he was, staring at her for so long Rose started to get worried. Then he bounded forward, dropping his arm of firewood and flopping back onto the bench.

"Cause here's the thing. Super human good looks? I've always had them! I mean, look at me! I'm foxy!" He winked at Rose and she couldn't help but chuckle. "The only downfall, and I do mean only, is that I'm not ginger. If I'd have been ginger, well, you just know the ladies would have been lining up for me! But anyway! Super human strength! I mean, can you imagine the possibilities?!"

Rose glanced behind her shoulder at the tree where she'd hidden the satchel, losing track of James' ramblings for a minute. She wanted to believe that James would stay with her, help her see the lanterns even if he had the satchel. But a part of her that sounded suspiciously like Mother's voice said he would be off to the hills faster than she could say Earl Braxiatel.

She tuned back into James, working to look and sound normal as she engaged in conversation with him about the pros and cons of super strength. Soon enough she relaxed, enjoying the bantering. He was genuinely funny and interesting and smart. And sometimes, sometimes the way he looked at her made her absolutely positive that her trust in him was well-founded. 

When she began to yawn he helped her scoop together a mound of leaves for a nice place to rest. He even pulled a cloak out of seeming thin air and she pulled it over her shoulder gratefully. It was still early summer and the night air was distinctly chilly. As for James, he curled up on the hard ground, resting his head on a small pile of moss and leaves, saying something about how he was used to the elements. 

Rose fell asleep to the sound of his gentle voice, telling her about the stars that were winking down at them through the branches of the trees. Rose's last thought was that she could get used to this.


	9. Chapter 9

James woke slowly to the feeling of something dripping on his cheek. He wiped it off, still half-asleep. It had a weird feeling for rain and was rather inconsistent. There was also the distinct smell of...horse! His eyes popped open and he stared upwards at Arthur's long snout looming over him, topped by the horse's raging eyes. 

"Have you come to apologize?" he asked, his voice not betraying the panic he was definitely feeling.

Arthur responded by snatching his foot and lifting him up into the air, dangling much higher off the ground than he liked to be, especially when he was hanging from a horse's mouth by one foot. A moment later Arthur swung him back towards the earth and he hit with a bone-numbing crunch.

He yelled, begging for his life, as the horse began to drag him into the underbrush. A moment later he saw Rose bound up from her pile of leaves and race towards them, grabbing his flailing arms and dragging backwards. Arthur redoubled his efforts and Rose set her teeth, glaring at the horse as the two played tug-of-war using James as the toy. 

James was not at all a fan of this sensation, certain his arms and legs were about to be ripped from their sockets, but a moment later he felt his boot release from his foot, and, with a triumphant yell, Rose won this round. James gave a manly shriek as he catapulted forwards, landing in a heap at the base of a tree. 

Arthur growled in a distinctly un-horse-like manner as he found himself holding only James' boot. He dropped the boot and advanced, but Rose met him halfway, hands out in front of her.

"Whoa!" she called. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!"

Arthur practically sat down in his effort not to trample Rose, a courtesy Arthur had absolutely never shown James. 

"Easy, easy!" Rose cried, darting back and forth in her efforts to impede Arthur's progress towards James. "Settle down, whoa! Settle, settle! There you go! Settle!"

Much to James' eternal astonishment, Arthur stopped his headlong rush at James and his eyes lost the crazed look. 

"Good boy!" Rose praised. "Now sit! Sit. Sit!"

Arthur dropped reluctantly to his rump.

"What?" James exclaimed.

"Drop it!" Rose commanded. "Come on! Drop the boot! Drop it!"

Arthur gave one annoyed nicker and dropped the boot.

"What?" James exclaimed again.

"Such a good boy!" Rose enthused, darting closer to pat the horse. "Yes you are such a good boy!"

"What?" James exclaimed for a third time, still not understanding anything that had just happened.

"Are you all tired from chasing this bad thief all over the place?" Rose crooned and Arthur nodded.

"Excuse me!" James demanded, but was soundly ignored. Even Chip had pranced his way over to the pair.

"Nobody appreciates you, do they?" Rose stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Arthur's wide chest. 

Arthur shook his head emphatically, blowing air out of his nostrils.

"Oh, come on!" James shouted. "He's a bad horse!"

"Oh, he is not!" Rose disagreed. "He's nothing but a big sweetheart. Isn't that right, Arthur?"

"How do you know his name?"

"Written on his collar. Because he's such a good horse! Such a good boy!" Rose hummed.

"You have got to be kidding me!" James threw his hands up.

Arthur's attention suddenly snapped to him and his ears went flying forward, glaring at James. 

"Now, hold on!" Rose said, stepping between the two. "Today's kind of a big deal to me! And I need you not to get him arrested."

Rose stepped back towards James and grabbed his hand, hauling him to his feet. She dragged him towards Arthur, making the two stand facing each other, regarding one another with the utmost dislike. 

Arthur snorted at Rose's proposition.

"Just for twenty-four hours, okay! And then you can chase each other to your heart's content."

James glared at Arthur and Arthur glared at James. James could see the absolute loathing the creature held for him and frankly, James didn't feel much less loathing towards the horse.

"James..." Rose said softly and he looked over at her.

Her whiskey eyes were so soft and her tongue was just visible through her teeth and he felt his whole body melt at the sight. He slumped his shoulders and re-faced Arthur, holding out his hand.

Arthur's eyes narrowed as he studied first James' face and then his hand. He swung his head away, refusing eye contact with both James and Rose.

"It's also my birthday," Rose put in. "I'm just throwing that out there."

James had not previously been aware that horses could sigh, but at that moment Arthur sighed. The horse looked back towards him and lifted his right foreleg which James solemnly shook.

Before they could say anything else, the sound of bells came echoing over the meadow, brought by the early morning breeze. Rose's eyes went wide and she pushed past them, full focus on following the sound of those bells. James and Arthur stared after her. The moment she disappeared behind a tree, Arthur used his still-extended leg and smacked James' shoulder, sending him flying backwards. 

James gasped as he rolled to a stop and then pushed himself painfully to his feet. He really needed to either change his lifestyle or find a good masseuse. He hurried as fast as he could after the disappearing pair, trio if he counted Chip. He found Rose and Arthur walking cozily side-by-side and he hurried to Rose's other side, sticking out his tongue at the horse as Rose grabbed his hand. 

He'd held hands with girls before, of course. He was James Noble. There had been little girls in the town he'd grown up in who had grown up to teenagers with a crush on him. He'd held their hands and even snuck a kiss from Romana behind the town dump (not one of the more romantic places, but he had been fifteen, you couldn't exactly blame him for his poor timing). Anyway, those hands hadn't felt right in his - not like Rose's did. 

Holding Rose's hand was an Experience, in and of itself. He had not known that the simple feeling of fingers twined with his would make him want more, to hold her hand forever and not let go, to kiss those lips and to wake up in the morning with her still at his side. He took a deep breath and then released it, not at all sure how to handle these new feelings. So he handled them by doing one of the two things that he always did when faced with something he didn't want to face. He rambled.

He rambled about the nature they were passing through, about the history of Gallifrey and the surrounding kingdoms. He told her local legends of passing scenery and the myths and fairy tales that cropped up. He chattered and talked and rambled the whole walk through the forest, following the river bed, talked until Arthur was glaring at him and Chip was passing him side-long looks. But Rose seemed interested, asking him questions and interjecting interesting facts she knew.

It was a relief to see the spires of Powell, Gallifrey's capital city, rise before them. James could feel Rose's apprehension through their joined hands and he smiled down at her. She offered him a tiny smile in return and he squeezed her hand. James could feel Arthur's judgmental gaze on him and he glared at him over Rose's head, only to catch sight of one of his Wanted posters on the wall.

He dropped Rose's hand and dashed over to rip it down. Arthur gave him a satisfied look and James glared back. They were about to get into it when they both suddenly realized Rose was definitely not waiting for them. Casually dropping the poster over the edge of the bridge, James hurried to catch up with Rose.

He came across her hair first, and it was not treating her kindly. For one thing it was dragging on the cobblestone streets, and for another the city was bustling with people and animals and they were not exactly on the lookout for a long, very long, swatch of hair dragging across the ground. He bundled it up as he moved towards her, not sure how to handle this; he definitely didn't want to carry around her hair all day. He caught sight of some little girls doing each other's hair off the side and inspiration struck.

James leaned across a wall with Arthur and watched the little girls braid Rose's hair. It really was magnificent hair and so soft, plus - he flexed his hand wryly, it was magical too. He ducked down suddenly at the sound of horse's hooves, realizing they were palace soldiers. As he did he realized the girls were done with Rose's hair and he smiled as he watched her twirl. Her hair was braided so it was about a hands length from the ground and the girls had braided flowers into it. It was clear from the look on Rose's face that this was the first time she'd ever had her hair not drag behind her.

He wasn't sure what emotions he was feeling as he watched her happiness, but Arthur's whinny of amusement at the look on his face soon brought him back to earth. He darted away from the horse and towards Rose, determined to show her everything.

"Why are there flags and flowers everywhere?" she asked, spinning in circles as she tried to take it all in. "Does it always look like this?"

"Nope," he said, taking her hand and pulling her close to his side. "This is the annual celebration to remember the Lost Princess. That's her, see?"

He gestured towards a large mural depicting King Peter and Queen Jacqueline, cradling a small golden-haired infant. 

"They look so kind!" Rose exclaimed, taking a step towards it.

"They are! Wonderful monarchs, truly. Gallifrey has had an extended time of peace under them. But come on - there's so much to see!"

Watching her experience the city was definitely going on his top favorite things to do list. She stared at everything with wide eyes as they went. Rose wanted to try everything and he wasn't about to turn down any request. He bought her pastries from a cart and they wandered through the marketplace, stopping to exclaim over vendors selling everything from jewelry to medicines. They ducked into a library for a moment and James pointed out the map of the world that hung on the wall, showing her everywhere he would go if he could and she looked at him in such a way that made it hard to breathe. 

After awhile they returned to the bright sunlight and he convinced her to sit and get her portrait drawn by a local artist, Chip curled at her feet and Arthur peering over her shoulder. The resulting pictured captured the bright light in her eyes and he tucked it into his pocket, unable to do more than offer some token words of appreciation of it.

The hours flew by as they explored, pulling each other towards new things to see and experience. Rose charmed everyone they came into contact with, striking up conversations with vendors while they purchased food and trinkets, pausing to play with a small group of children and several puppies, and chatting with an older couple who were watching the proceedings with kind smiles. 

It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise as it did then when she started dancing to a group of musicians' pipe and fiddle music. They switched into a lively dance step and a moment later Rose had pulled several unsuspecting passersby into dancing with her. She beckoned to him, but he shook his head, reclining against a post and watching her. 

She looked so disappointed and Arthur gave him such a hearty nudge that he stumbled forward into the group of dancers. James wanted to reach her, to hold her as the music played, but every time he got close the crowd pulled them apart. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her and it appeared like she was constantly seeking him out as well, no matter the bodies that separated them. He whirled and danced, spinning in circles and watching her do the same. Finally, finally they reached each other and their hands were together and he had his hand on her waist and then the music stopped.

"To the boats!" came the cry and he released his hold on her reluctantly. 

Her hand slid off his waist and she looked like she wanted to say something, but the crowds of people were pressing forward and they had no choice but to move with them. James felt Rose's fingers slide through his and he smiled at the contact. It was hard to believe he had only met her about thirty-six hours ago; the feelings he felt towards her were a lot stronger than anticipated.

He'd arranged a boat earlier in the day while she had been distracted, and he led her through the people in the direction of the docks.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he helped her into the boat.

"It's your birthday - figured you should have the best seat in the house." He winked at her and dropped a bag of apples on the dock. "These are for you, Arthur."

Arthur looked between him and the apples suspiciously. "I bought them!" James reassured him. "Mostly."

Rose and Arthur rolled their eyes as James used the paddle to push off into the water. The river was full of boats and the air was filled with the sounds of merriment. Somewhere in the distance a string quartet played. Rose leaned forward and trailed her fingers through the water.

"It's beautiful!" she sighed.

"Yeah," he agreed, catching sight of her face smiling back at him.

He steered the vessel out far enough to where they could see the whole city, out past all of the other boats, until it felt like it was just the two of them (and Chip, who was curled in the stern). He shifted to the center and helped her do the same, until they were seated on the bottom of the boat, facing the city, pressed together for stability (or for something else that he wasn't _quite_ ready to acknowledge.

Rose sighed and he looked at her with concern. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just terrified."

"Why?" he asked, shifting away.

She smiled, bumping his shoulder with her own. "I've been looking out my window for eighteen years, wishing I could see the lanterns and dreaming about what it would feel like to be here in this spot. What if...what if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?"

James smiled at her. "It will be," he told her softly. 

"What if it is?" she asked, looking at him at last. "What do I do then?"

"Well, that's the fun part! You get to go find a new dream and pursue that one!"

They continued to look at each other until the sound of a bell tolled and then they turned to look back at the city. A single glowing lantern was ascending into the sky, higher and higher, while hundreds upon thousands of lanterns were slowly rising after it. 

James had seen this sight before, of course. He had been raised in a tiny hamlet not far from Powell, but had escaped to the city as soon as he could. But Rose had only seen the lanterns from the distance. She was staring up at the heavens, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her face. 

"I remember when the Lost Princess was first lost," he told her quietly, shifting even closer to her as the chilly night air rose around them. "I was five and I remember it. I watched the lanterns being released every year in memory of that, first from my village and later from here. Of course, when I was a bit older I was more interested in pick-pocketing than in watching them."

She smiled, her eyes still glued to the sky. "I don't remember the first time I saw them," she said. "I just remember that they always happened on my birthday. When I was little I thought my mother had released them for me, but she quickly disabused me of that notion."

The pain in her voice was evident and James couldn't resist picking up her hand, threading their fingers together. Reaching behind him, James picked up the two lanterns he had purchased (no really, he had!) and lit them. The movement caught Rose's attention and she turned towards him with a gasp when she saw what he was holding. They smiled at each other and Rose reached out to take a lantern and then dropped her hands.

"I have something for you," she said, leaning down to pick up his long-lost satchel. "I should have given it to you earlier, but I was scared. And you know what? I'm not scared anymore. Do you know what I mean?"

He smiled, taking from the satchel from her and placing it behind him. "I'm starting to," he said softly, handing her one of the lanterns.

His heart stuttered at the look in her eyes as she watched him. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something and then shut it again. Together they released their own lanterns to join the sky of dazzling lights. James craned his neck to watch the two lanterns dance and twirl as they rose into the sky. They stayed together even as they soared higher and higher, and it made his heart squeeze to watch them.

After a bit he returned his gaze to Rose's face. The lights made her hair seem blonder, and when she turned to look at him, he could see them twinkling in her eyes. Once they made eye contact, neither of them seemed able to look away and they shifted towards one another. He took her hand, wanting to be close to her. He could feel himself leaning towards her and she was most definitely leaning towards him. 

James lifted his hand and tucked a stray piece of hair that had fallen in her eyes behind her ear, his fingers lingering against the soft skin of her face. His hand slid down until he was cupping the side of her face, his fingers resting gently against her neck. Her eyes fluttered shut as she raised her face to meet his.

Before he could capture her lips with his own, a different sort of light shone behind Rose's head and he turned his head to look. His eyes went wide as he realized the Skaro Brothers were standing on the shore. Even as he watched they turned and disappeared back into the woods.

Rose pulled away from him. "Is everything okay?"

"Huh? What? Oh yes, everything's fine. Perfect. I just..." His eyes fell on the satchel and he knew what he need to do. "I need to take care of something."

"Okay." Rose sank back into her seat.

James lifted the oars, paddling towards shore as fast as he could. He was aware of Rose's eyes on him, but couldn't explain what was going to happen. He knew the Skaro Brothers propensity for violence and he definitely did not want Rose getting caught in the middle. When they reached the shore, he hopped out, dragging the boat onto land. 

"I'm sorry," he said, lifting the satchel from the boat. "Everything is fine. Brilliant even. There's just something I need to take care of real quick. I'll be back in a jiffy. A flash!"

Her eyes were wide and a little bit sad and they made his heart twist. He stretched out a hand and ran his finger down one of her cheeks. 

"Okay," she said, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips.

"I'll be right back," he said. "I promise."

James gave her one last look and then vanished into the woods where the Skaro Brothers had gone. He immediately saw Thay leaning against a boulder, sharpening his dagger. 

"Ahh!" James exclaimed cheerily. "There you are! I've been searching everywhere for you guys since we got separated. Those sideburns are coming in nicely! You must be excited about that. Love a good pair of sideburns. Anyhow! Just wanted to stop by and say I shouldn't have left you. The crown is all yours! I'll miss you, but I think it's time for me to go."

He tossed the satchel on the ground at Thay's feet and turned only to find his path blocked by Caan. 

"You holding out on us again, huh Noble?" Thay asked.

"What?"

"We heard you found something valuable," Thay went on, getting up off the boulder and approaching him, still swinging his dagger. "Something much more valuable than a crown.

Thay kicked the tiara out of the way as he stalked over to James. 

"We want her instead," Caan said menacingly. 

James' eyes went wide as he turned his head back and forth between them, their meaning sinking in. A moment later he found himself lifted in the air, Caan's hand firmly over his mouth so he couldn't scream. They carried him to the bank of the river and bound him to the seats, tying oars to each hand. Thay shoved a wad of fabric in his mouth and stepped back onto shore with an evil grin.

"Good luck, Noble!"

"I hope your princess is as pretty as they say she is!"

With these parting shots, they shoved the boat off and James found himself floating across the water, bound for the city and impending doom. Struggle as he might he couldn't loose his bonds or his gag - even when he heard her voice call to him across the water. James could only watch in horror as the walls of the city rose higher and higher. The boat slammed into the dock at the worst possible place - the base of the palace docks. The crash alerted the soldiers on the high wall and they raced down.

He struggled against his bonds, his only thoughts centered on Rose. He felt like his heart was beating just an endless beat of "ROSE!" and he barely registered the soldiers, cutting him loose from the boat and dragging him up the wall. They recognized him in an instant - though the wanted poster with his face on it pinned to his jacket was probably also helpful. 

He wanted to fight - probably would have in another lifetime, even the day before yesterday. Before he stumbled upon Rose's tower and met the most beautiful, intelligent, interesting, loving woman he had ever met and then had her cruelly ripped from him. His heart broke for Rose as he realized she would believe he had betrayed her for the crown. He felt tears fill his eyes and felt his own heart shatter as surely as hers was. She would never want him now. This is all he was - a thief who was finally going to get his comeuppance, not a person someone like Rose could ever love.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depictions of some physical abuse by a parental figure at the end of this chapter

Rose stared after the disappearing figure of James, the night air suddenly seemed very cold. Chip jumped up on her lap and she buried her fingers in his soft fur.

"It'll be okay," she told him. "He'll be back. He promised."

The minutes stretched on as she waited for him and she felt her heart sinking. Mother's words came back to haunt her. Why would someone as handsome as James want her? She was nothing, a nobody who hadn't experienced or done anything. How could he possibly want her? It had seemed for a moment in the boat that he was going to kiss her, but that was surely her imagination. 

She heard a rustle in the trees and she looked up, watching a shadowy figure approach. Her heart leaped for joy. He was coming back! 

"I thought you were leaving me!" she cried.

After a moment the figure turned into two figures and they were definitely not James. These two men were big, hulking men with eye patches and wicked smiles. 

"He did leave you," one of them said.

"What? No! He wouldn't!" 

"See for yourself!" 

He waved his hand and Rose looked to where he was gesturing with a sinking feeling. A boat was sliding smoothly through the water and, clear as day, was James, holding the oars and making for the opposite shore. 

"James!" she yelled. "James!"

There was no response - the figure of James never even turned his head. Rose felt her heart shattering. Mother had been right; James had never been interested in her. She felt tears fill her eyes but before they could fall, the men were talking again.

"A fair trade," one of them growled. "A crown for the girl with the magic hair."

Rose whirled towards them, trying to keep them both in sight as they circled her. 

"How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and beautiful forever?" 

The other one shook out a large canvas bag and stalked closer to her.

"No!" she cried, darting backwards. "Please! No!"

She turned and fled, tripping over the stony beach and making for the woods. Before she could vanish into its comforting depths, her hair snagged on a tree, and try as she might, she couldn't get it undone. She struggled, panic making her movements sloppy. Behind her she heard the sounds of a fight and she struggled all the harder. 

And then she heard a voice that sent chills down her spine. 

"Rose!" Mother yelled. "Where are you?"

"Mother?" Rose whispered, finally loosening her hair.

She walked back out of the woods and turned the corner to see her mother holding a large branch. On the beach at her feet lay the two thugs.

"Mother!" Rose exclaimed.

Mother dropped the branch. "Oh my precious girl!" she cried, holding out her hands.

Rose ran across to her, throwing her arms around her. It was a relief to see her, even if it was a mixed relief. 

"Are you alright?" Mother questioned. "Are you hurt?" 

"Mother, how did you..."

"Hush now," Mother said, smoothing back Rose's hair. "I was so worried about you, dear, that I followed you. I saw them attack you so I took care of them. Let's go, let's go before they wake up!"

She lifted up her skirts and made to run off. Rose took a step towards the water. James' boat was still visible through the fog. She looked up and not a lantern could be seen - they had all been extinguished by the atmosphere and the wind. She turned back and saw her mother. She had stopped a little ways off and was holding out her arms.

Rose's eyes filled with tears and with a choked sob she ran towards her. 

"You were right, Mother," Rose whimpered, wrapping her arms around her. "You were right about everything."

"I know, dear. I know. Let's go home."

Afterwards Rose barely remembered the walk back through the forest to the tower. Every step further away from James made her heart break a little bit more. She didn't feel like she could fully catch her breath, and she vaguely wondered if this was just how it was going to be now. She had read in books about how falling in love was called losing your heart and she understood it. The spot where her heart was just felt numb.

Rose hardly acknowledged that there was a door in the base of the tower that she had never known about. Mother led Rose to her room, sitting down on the edge of the bed and taking down Rose's braid, picking out the flowers as she did so. Rose sat very still and let her work without moving or engaging in any way. She was fairly certain that with any movement she would shatter into a hundred, a thousand, pieces and she didn't want to do that with Mother still in the room.

"There!" Mother trilled, lifting the last flower away. "It's like it never happened."

Mother slid off the bed and headed towards the door way. "Now wash up for dinner! I'm making hazelnut and fireweed soup!"

Rose didn't lift her head, staring unseeingly at her hands. The vision of James' boat sliding away from her was the only thing she could see, no matter how much she tried to focus on her other memories of him. 

"I tried, Rose," Mother's voice broke through her thoughts. "I really did try to warn you. The world - and men especially - are dark and selfish and cruel. If they find even the slightest ray of sunshine, they destroy it. You can't blame me for your heartbreak."

Mother closed the door to Rose's room with a pronounced thud that made Rose jump. Slowly, Rose opened her hands and stared at the small flag replica she had snagged from the marketplace of Powell.

It had been blowing by in the wind and she had chased after it, delighted by the purple scrap of fabric. James had chuckled, joining in the chase. At some point he had grabbed her hand and she had laughed louder for no particular reason other than pure delight at the day. Together they had dodged people and carts, until finally James had snagged the small purple flag from the dusty ground. 

James had shaken the dust off and presented it to her with a flourish that had made her giggle even harder. He had bent his head close to hers, explaining the symbol of the kingdom - the golden sun on the royal purple background, the sun with its unique seven longer rays and seven shorter ones. James had gone into some long rambling account of the reason behind the symbol, which she had tuned out in favor of watching his hair ripple in the wind and the way his eyes lit up as he talked. 

Rose stared down at the scrap of fabric now. The purple and gold seemed duller here, in her familiar tower bedroom. Chip meowed and she looked down at him. The cat curled into her side, resting his head on her leg. Rose petted him absently, feeling tears gather in the corners of her eyes. She dropped backward onto her bed, clutching the fabric to her chest.

She stared up at the ceiling, not really registering the murals she had painted through the years. Then she blinked - there was something familiar about spots in her mural. She held up the flag with its sun and looked back at the ceiling and then back at the flag. She sat up, eyes widening and mouth dropping open as she realized she had drawn that symbol into her mural. Not once, not twice, but dozen of times. She jumped off the bed and whirled around, finding symbol after symbol incorporated through her painting.

The symbol of the sun wasn't distinct or noticeable right away, but if you knew what to look for, it was everywhere. Rose stumbled backwards as a sudden memory swept over her. It was the brief remembrance of staring up at that same symbol above her bed while a kindly pair smiled down at her. She had dreamed of those ghostly figures before and she forced herself to focus on their faces. Their faces suddenly cleared in her mind and she gasped as she realized she had seen those faces again in the huge mural in the marketplace of Powell: King Peter and Queen Jacqueline holding the Lost Princess. 

Her mind whirled as she remembered the golden-haired Lost Princess, whose eyes had seemed so familiar, and trying on the tiara and the feeling that it had been made for her. She gasped, losing her balance and falling against the wall. She knew - knew like a hammer blow, knew like she knew that she still loved James - she knew she was the Lost Princess. 

"Rose?" Mother's voice sounded from the hallway. "Rose, what's going on up there?"

Rose leaned against the bed, breathing hard and then she turned and made her way to her door, opening it slowly. 

"I'm the Lost Princess," she whispered.

"What? Please speak up, Rose! You know I can't hear you when you mumble!"

"I am the Lost Princess!" Rose said, loudly and decisively, raising her head to meet Mother's eyes. "Aren't I?"

Mother stared at her, the blood draining from her cheeks.

"Did I mumble, Mother?" Rose asked, stepping fully into the hall. "Or should I even call you Mother. Who are you?"

Mother lost the trance she was under and started towards her, her voice light. "Oh Rose, do you even hear yourself when you talk? Why would you even ask me that? Am I your mother indeed!"

She held out her hands for Rose and Rose pushed her away. "It was you," Rose exclaimed. "You stole me away."

The change over Mother's face was instantaneous. The simpering smile she always wore when she addressed Rose died away. In its place was a different sort of smile, cold and chilling. 

"Everything I did was to protect you," Mother said in a dark tone.

Rose shoved past her, making for the stairs, anger coursing through her veins.

"I've spent my whole life in this tower hiding from the world, from people who would use me for my tower when I should have been hiding from you!"

"Rose!" Mother screamed. "Where will you go? _He_ certainly won't be there for you."

"What did you do to him?" Rose demanded.

"That criminal is to be hanged for his crimes."

Rose gasped, her blood running cold. 

"Now, now it's alright," Mother said, her voice returning to its normal sickly sweet tone. "Listen to me. All of this is as it should be."

Mother reached out a hand towards Rose's hair, but Rose grabbed her wrist, preventing her.

"No!" Rose cried. "You were wrong about the world. And you were wrong about me. And I will never let you use my hair again!"

Mother wrenched backwards out of Rose's grip, tripping into the mirror and sending it crashing to the floor. 

Rose glared at her and turned to walk away. 

"You want me to be the bad guy?" Mother said in a low tone. "Then I'll be the bad guy." 

Rose tried to duck out of the way, making for the tower window, but Mother was too fast. Rose felt pain explode against the back of her head and then she fell backwards and knew no more.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a violence warning for the end of this chapter

James spent the night pacing a tiny cell. It was not the first one he had been in, but it was the first time he had ever been in the palace dungeons. He mind whirled between his predicament and Rose. He needed to get back to her, he needed to, but he had no idea how on earth he was meant to escape. 

The door of his cell clanged open and he turned to see Adam filling the doorway. 

"It's time, Noble!" Adam growled. "Let's get this over with."

"Where are we going?"

Adam sneered and James gasped, his hand going to his throat. 

"Oh, right," he stuttered, his impressive gob failing him for once in his life.

Adam grinned nastily and led him from the cell. Two soldiers held his arms behind his back as they marched through the dungeons. James stared at the ground as they walked, desperately wishing he had some way to get a message to Rose. He was going to die and she would never know that he, that he...that he loved her.

A movement in one of the cells they were passing caught his attention and James raised his eyes, his mouth dropping open as he realized the Skaro Brothers were inside. The sight made his blood run cold and then hot. Using all his force he shoved hard to his right and then his left, knocking his guards off of him with decisive punches. 

Darting to the cell, he grabbed Caan's shirt and dragged him forwards.

"How did you know about her?" he demanded. "Tell me! Now!"

"It wasn't us," Thay stuttered. "It was the old lady."

"Old lady?" James asked, thinking hard.

The soldiers grabbed his arms, dragging him away from the Skaro Brothers as the pieces of the puzzle started to click into place. Rose's stories about her mother, the sudden interest of the brothers in Rose, all of it was adding up to a horrible result. 

"No!" James cried. "Wait! You don't understand! Rose!"

The soldiers marched him inexorably onward, even as James twisted and turned in their grip, desperate now more than ever to escape. Up ahead he spied the noose that was hanging ready for his neck. There was a movement out of the corner of his eye and James turned towards it, but whatever it was was gone.

He narrowed his eyes, but was distracted because a second later the doors in front of them slammed shut. Then the doors in every direction started slamming shut.

"What's this?" Adam demanded, turning towards James like it was his fault.

Adam pounded against the door, demanding they open up. A moment later, to James' surprise, one of the men they'd met at Platform One swung open the window at the top of the door.

"What's the password?" he asked and then slammed the window shut. 

"What?" Adam cried.

The window opened. "Nope!" 

The window closed.

"Open this door!" Adam shouted.

"The window opened. "Not even close!"

The window closed.

"You have three seconds!" Adam shouted. "One!"

The guard to the left of James suddenly vanished, dragged away by a man with a hook for a hand.

"Two!"

The door to their right opened and the other guard was dragged away by his face. 

"Three..." Adam turned around, alerted by the sound of the door closing.

He was confronted by James standing alone in the middle of the hall, still manacled and doing his very best to look innocent. The door through which Adam had been conversing opened and a man with a long blue coat smacked Adam with a very familiar looking frying pan. 

"Frying pans!" James exclaimed. "Who knew, right?"

There was a loud thumping behind them and James gulped as the door splintered, admitting a huge swarm of castle guards. The man in the long blue coat led the way up the corridor away from the horde of angry guards, and James ran gratefully after him. They ran through the passageways, hearing the sounds of fighting behind them, and finally emerged into the courtyard. Their path was blocked by more hordes of very angry guards and James looked around in consternation.

The man with the hook for the hand suddenly snatched James up and placed him in a nearby wheelbarrow.

"Head down!" the man cried.

"Head down," James repeated, ducking his head down.

"Arms in!"

"Arms in."

"Knees apart!"

"Knees apart," James said. "Wait, knees apart? Why do I need to keep my knees apart?"

Before he could truly finish his thought, a large form hurdled through the air and slammed into the other end of the wheelbarrow, sending James flying up into the air. He screamed, not even caring who heard him, as he flew through the air. He saw the roofs of the castle fly by and then he landed hard.

He gave an unmanly grunt of pain at the landing and then opened his eyes wide as he realized he had landed astride Arthur. 

"Arthur?" he said in astonishment. "You brought them here?"

Arthur gave him a slight nod, something James hadn't realized horses could do. 

"Thank you!"

Arthur gave another nod.

"No, really - thank you, I feel like maybe this whole time this has really been just a big misunderstanding and we were really..." His voice trailed off at the thoroughly unimpressed look Arthur was giving him. "No, you're right. We should go."

The door behind them swung open and the air was suddenly full of arrows as Arthur galloped away. Arthur ran like a horse possessed, dodging the oncoming soldiers and sending them flying as he leaped walls, jumped fences, and took James' breath away with his sheer speed. In no time at all they had reached the city gates and were racing down the road that led out of Powell. 

"Come on, Arthur!" James yelled.

Up until that point in his life, James hadn't realized a lot of things. One of them was the devastating speed of castle horses. And another was that someone could hold his heart the way that Rose had. He thought of her as Arthur dashed through the forest, galloping so fast James had to screw up his eyes against the wind. 

He didn't know when it had happened, the moment he fallen for the golden haired girl, but he had. Somewhere between her fearful courage when smacking people (including him) with that blasted frying pan and her ability to make a bar full of thugs and ruffians fall in love with her, between getting trapped in a cave to dancing in the marketplace of Powell: James Noble had completely lost his heart to Rose.

James was relieved to finally catch sight of the tower. He slid from Arthur's back with a relieved sigh and an absent-minded pat to the horse's nose. He took a deep breath as he approached the tower. It was very silent and it looked ominous. He wasn't sure if that was the darkening sky or something else, but he was sure he didn't imagine the sense of foreboding that filled him.

He didn't know if Rose would even still want him, but he had to try. 

"Rose!" he called. "Rose! It's James. Let down your hair!"

There was silence from the tower and he groaned, reaching towards the tower and determined to climb it. 

Then he heard the creaking as the window shutters opened and a moment later that gloriously golden hair came falling down towards him. He snatched it and used it as a rope, rappelling himself up the tower. He had no idea what he was going to find, but he wasn't going to stop now even though he felt like his heart was beating double-time. 

He grabbed the window ledge and hoisted himself in. He could see her crouched on the floor on the far side of the tower. And he started speaking before he'd even really gotten all the way inside. 

"Rose! I never thought I'd see you again!" Then he caught sight of her for real. She was gagged, tied with her hands behind the back and her eyes were wide and terrified. "Rose?"

A sharp pain suddenly pierced his side and he groaned, his eyes rolling backwards. He bent over, falling forwards and clutching his wound. Above him he could hear a maniacal laugh and Rose's concerned grunts. The pain in his side was intense and he pressed his hands to it, feeling the damp blood seeping through his clothes.

"Now look what you've done, Rose!" 

The voice was coming from somewhere above him and James had to fight to concentrate on it. 

"Our secret will die with him," the voice continued and James opened his eyes wide.

An old lady with blonde hair and a permanent sneer was dragging Rose by her chain across the room, even as Rose strained towards him. 

The lady was still nattering on. "And as for you, well, we are going where no one will ever find us."

James watched as Chip darted forwards and sunk his claws into the lady's leg. She kicked out, sending the cat flying against the wall where he landed in a heap. 

James wanted to get up, to move, to help Rose, but he couldn't. The pain in his side was radiating outwards and it was all he could do to lie still and try to stay present.

"Rose!" the woman screamed. "Stop fighting me!"

Rose, who was still writhing on the floor, somehow managed to spit out the cloth covering her mouth.

"No!" she yelled, glaring at the woman. "I won't ever stop fighting you. Not ever. For every single second of the rest of my life I will fight you. I will never, ever stop trying to get away from you, but..."

Rose looked over her shoulder at James and then back at the woman. "If you let me save him, I will go with you."

"No!" James groaned, shifting forwards to try to crawl towards her. "Rose, no. Don't. I'm not worth it." 

"I'll never run," Rose went on, ignoring him. "I'll never try to escape. Just let me heal him and you and I can stay together forever. Everything will go back to the way it was. I promise. Just let me heal him."

The woman rolled her eyes, but undid Rose's chain. Before Rose could move over to James, she was shoved out of the way. The woman, witch really, James decided, brought Rose's chain over and cuffed James' wrist to a pillar.

"In case you get any smart ideas about following us," she sneered. 

"James!" Rose cried, leaping up and running over to him.

James tried to smile, but coughed instead. He grimaced at the spots of blood that spattered from his mouth. Rose dropped to her knees beside him, one hand going to his face and the other smoothing the hair out of his eyes. He stared at her, realizing how very much he really loved her. He was not willing for her to sacrifice herself on his account.

James tried to maneuver himself into more of a sitting position, but quickly sank back as a spasm of pain went through him. Rose touched his wound briefly, gasping as she caught sight of the blood.

"It's okay," she said, gathering up her hair. "Everything's going to be okay James, I promise."

"Rose," he murmured, trying to push away her hair. "No."

"You have to trust me, James," she whispered, wrapping her hair around his wound. "Just breathe. It's okay, I've got you."

"No," he muttered. "I can't let you do this." 

"And I can't let you die," she told him, meeting his gaze. 

"But if you do this," he started, "then you will die."

"Shh," she hushed him, placing one hand on his cheek. "It's gonna be alright, okay. I promise."

Her eyes dropped from his, her hands moving to adjust her hair around him. He had a plan and he closed his hand around one of the shards of glass on the floor.

"Rose, wait," he croaked.

Her eyes snapped back to his and he lifted his right hand, smoothing her hair away from her cheek. Using the last of his strength he lifted himself up and wrapped his hand around her hair, bringing up the glass and slicing clean through the bundle of hair. Before his eyes, the golden strands turned brown. 

His hand fell, his body slumping forward and he knew no more.


	12. Chapter 12

"James!" Rose cried, her hand flying to her suddenly short hair. 

"No!" Mother yelled from behind her.

Rose stared at the hair she held in her hand, watching it turn to brown as swiftly as it used to glow when she sang. She followed the transformation with her gaze until she got to where Mother was bundling the hair into her arms, screaming as the hair continued to turn color.

"What have you done?" Mother bellowed. "What have you done?"

Rose watched as Mother's appearance changed. Her curly blonde hair turned grey and then white, her smooth skin wrinkled, and her fingers turned to claws. Mother screamed as she ran for the mirror, dropping to her knees to try to catch a glimpse of herself in its shattered surface. She screamed again at the sight and pulled the hood of her cloak up and over her face.

Still shrieking, she lurched to her feet. It seemed like she was coming for Rose, but then she realized Mother wasn't really moving with a particular aim, just stumbling through the tower, getting closer and closer to the window. Just as she reached the opening, she tripped over Rose's hair that still lay strewn around the floor. 

Rose jumped to her feet, hands outstretched. She knew what was going to happen before it did, but she could only watch in horror as Mother pitched forward through the window. Rose raced to the window, too late to save her, a scream hanging in the air. As she watched, Mother shriveled up, and by the time the cloak hit the ground far below, Mother had turned to dust. 

Rose couldn't breathe as she stared downwards. The woman who had fallen had been a villain in the end (and through most of Rose's life if she was being honest with herself), but she was still the only parent Rose had known and she didn't know how to process what had happened. 

A rattling sound interrupted Rose's thoughts. With a gasp, she wrenched herself away from the window and ran for James. He had slid down and was lying on his side. Kneeling beside his head, she turned him over, pulling his head into her lap.

"No!" she called, feeling his clammy skin. "No, no, no, no!" 

He coughed weakly, but didn't open his eyes.

"No! James! Look at me!" she cried. "I'm right here. Stay with me!"

She grabbed his hand and held it to the top of her head, trying to sing the familiar song of healing. Nothing happened.

"Rose." James' voice was thready. "Rose."

"What?" Rose broke off, staring down at him. 

His eyes cracked open just a little and he tried to lift his head. "You were my new dream."

She smiled through the gathering tears. "And you were mine."

His eyes softened and then slid shut. He started to take a breath and then it ended and she felt his hand go limp in hers. She let his head rest in her lap as she smoothed his fringe off of his forehead, it didn't look right drooping in his face. 

She could feel tears threatening to overflow and, bending her head towards his, she sang the rest of the healing song, her voice breaking. As she rested her forehead to his a tear slid down her nose, splashing on his cheek. She sobbed, unable to believe that she had had such happiness only to have it snatched from her. She was truly alone in the world.

A flash of light caught her attention and she lifted her head. Light was spreading from the spot on his cheek where her tear had landed, covering his whole body with shimmering golden light. It seemed to encompass her too, filling them both with its warm radiance. As quickly as it appeared, it faded away. 

Tentatively, Rose reached out a hand and placed it on his chest. There, faint but unmistakable beneath her fingers, was the sound of a heartbeat. She quickly shifted her gaze to his face, hoping against hope that she would see what she so desperately wanted to see. 

Slowly color spread through his cheeks and then the most glorious sound filled the room - the sound of James breathing. His eyes slid open and he looked up at her in wonder.

"Rose?" he asked.

"James?" she said unable to believe it.

"Rose, did I ever tell you I had a thing for brunettes?" he said, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"James!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. 

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. His face was buried in the crook of her neck and she could feel the strength of his grip. He sat up, pulling her with him until she was seated sideways on his lap, his arms holding her to his chest. She pulled backwards, grinning at him.

He grinned back at her and opened his mouth to say something, but she had a better idea. Grabbing his shirt with both hands, she pulled him forwards so she could cover his lips with her own. 

She didn't know much about kissing, didn't have a lot of experience in her life, but when he finally relaxed, his hand going to the back of her head, and he was kissing her back, she didn't think it could possibly get any better than this.

They let go at last, partly because breathing was becoming a thing. She laughed again when she saw him, his hair ruffled for a different reason, and she couldn't resist plunging her fingers back through the strands. It was just as soft as she thought it would be and when she used her nails to scrape against his skull he groaned in a way that made her open her eyes wide. 

He laughed at the sight, taking one of her hands in his. "I promise, Rose, we have all the time in the world for that. But now we have a more pressing thing to do."

She raised an eyebrow. 

"We have a Lost Princess to return."

"Oh!" she gasped, sudden fear filling her.

"Rose, love," he said and then stopped, eyes widening at the endearment. 

She smiled, reaching out to smooth a hand over his cheek. She couldn't help touching him now that she could. He smiled back at her, seeming to gather his courage.

"They'll love you," he encouraged her. 

"Yeah?" she whispered.

"I'm sure of it."

"How do you know?" she asked, desperate for some sort of reassurance. 

"Because...because," he paused and took a deep breath. "Because Rose...I love you."

Her eyes widened and then she grinned at him. "James Noble née Earl Braxiatel, I..."

They were interrupted by the sound of whinnying.

The looked at the window and then each other. "Arthur," they said together and laughed.

"Come on!" James laughed, standing up and helping her to her feet.

They had to use the door at the bottom of the tower because Rose could no longer easier swing them down to the ground by her hair. 

"I bet your neck muscles are very strong," James remarked and then grunted when she elbowed him.

Rose left the tower without taking any possessions. Only Chip accompanied her as she stepped out of the tower for the second time in her life. She tightened her grip on James' hand as she stepped onto the grass. A moment later Arthur met them, nosing her face to make sure she was okay. 

She kissed the horse's nose, ignoring James' annoyed look. She knew that Arthur and James would eventually grow to be good friends; she would make sure of it. Arthur consented to giving them both rides back to Powell, Chip stretched out contentedly on Rose's lap, while Rose leaned back against James' chest. 

They passed the time talking and laughing, James occasionally going into rambling monologues while Rose listened to the sound of his voice beneath her ear. She didn't think she would ever grow tired of his voice when it hadn't been that long ago she had been sure she'd never get to hear it again.

It was surprisingly easier than expected to send a message through the palace guards to the King and Queen. Rose carrying the tiara and a striking resemblance to Queen Jacqueline probably helped. James definitely got some skeptical looks from the palace guards, but Rose kept a firm grip on his hand and glared at anyone who looked like they might separate them. 

At last James and Rose were left on a balcony while the King and Queen were summoned. They stood hand-in-hand, not talking, just standing there and looking out over the city. Rose was so lost in thought she jumped when she heard the door creak open.

She turned slowly, jaw dropping as she took in the appearance of her parents. The Queen gave a startled gasp and hurried forward, gathering Rose in a hug which Rose gratefully returned. A moment later the King had wrapped his arms around them both and Rose felt herself enveloped in her parents' love. 

James stood off to the side until Queen Jacqueline - Mum? - reached out one hand and dragged him into the family reunion hug. He gave a startled squeak, but Rose thought he looked pleased to be included. 

It was later, much, much later when Rose and James had another moment to be alone. They were again on the balcony, looking out over the city. James had his arms around Rose and she had her head resting back against his chest. 

"Was it everything you hoped for?" James' voice rumbled in Rose's ear.

"Yeah, it was," she said. "The King and Queen, mum and dad - they're so great, don't you think?"

He nodded. "Especially after they got past the part where they pardoned me, and your mum stopped looking like she was going to slap me for stealing your tiara."

"I think rescuing me from Mother - Henrietta, helped a lot."

He hummed in agreement. "Are you feeling okay about that?"

He didn't need to specify what he was talking about. "Yeah, I am. I did love her, but she was cruel to me for so long. I'm sorry she wasn't a better person. But there is no use dwelling on the past. There is so much to see and do here!"

"Yeah, there is." James pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

Rose twisted around in his grasp so she was facing him, his hands still wrapped around her middle.

"By the way," she said with a smile, "I think I got interrupted earlier."

"Oh?" His eyes twinkled down at her.

"Yeah, you said something kind of important and I was going to say something back."

"Were you now?"

"Yep. Why don't we take it from the top. You start," she prompted.

"I love you, Rose," he said, his eyes bright but his expression serious.

"James Noble," she said. "I love you."

He smiled widely before leaning down to kiss her soundly. Chip twisted about their ankles, and in the distance they could hear Arthur's distinctive neigh of joy. Rose smiled into the kiss, knowing that there was a whole world to be explored with James' hand in hers.


	13. Chapter 13

And what happened then? The kingdom rejoiced, for the Lost Princess had returned. There were celebrations for days afterwards. Parties that lasted into the night, food and drinks and dancing to satisfy everyone. 

Dreams came true for everyone - the men they had met in Platform One and who had helped James escape from the dungeons were given pardons for their crimes or, at the very least, ways to work off their crimes and contribute to the public good. Adam was convinced that another kingdom would be a better match for his skill set and Arthur was promoted to take his spot. Under Arthur's command, crime in Gallifrey dropped significantly. Chip enjoyed his new life in the Palace and became a sleek center of palace life. 

As for Rose, well, she finally had a family who loved her. The King and Queen were delighted to be reunited with her and the three of them spent many hours catching up and doing family things to help make up for all the time they had missed. Oh, there were some disagreements and struggles as they all adjusted to living under the same roof, but they loved each other with all of their hearts.

Rose was truly a Princess worth waiting for and she soon won the hearts and loyalty of the citizens of Gallifrey. She was not a Princess who ruled from the palace - instead she spent as much time as she could out in the countryside, getting to know her citizens so that she could one day rule with grace and wisdom. And the people loved her - they could easily see that she would lead the Kingdom well and would usher Gallifrey into a New Golden Age.

The tower was kept standing, though it went under some major upgrades and all vestiges of the the witch Henrietta were removed from it. Rose would go out to it sometimes to spend some time in the meadow, remembering her past, and using it to move into her future.

And as for James? He was pardoned for his crimes and became a model citizen, well, mostly. He spent the majority of the time at the palace, and after giving Rose enough time to settle into being a proper daughter and a Princess (at least one whole week), he asked her to marry him. She definitely said yes and, even though the Queen (and, to a lesser degree, the King) objected to the way he went about it, well, they were married at the first opportunity.

And yes, they did indeed live happily ever after, together, the way it should be.

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaand we're done! I hope you enjoyed this! Thanks to CSV for being the best possible editor! And thank you to each and every one of you for your delightful comments; I really appreciate your time!


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